Power display, Leake propel Cardinals past Brewers
MILWAUKEE -- Home runs from Matt Adams and Randal Grichuk and a 10-strikeout performance from Mike Leake helped the St. Louis Cardinals end the first half on a high note, beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1, Sunday afternoon at Miller Park.
Leake (6-7) had lost his last three decisions and hadn't won since June 12 but pitched one of his best games of the season, holding Milwaukee to just one run on six hits over seven innings.
Junior Guerra (6-2) failed to record a quality start for the first time since June 16 after allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
Guerra's run of consecutive scoreless innings came to end at 16 1/3 when Adams led off the second with a solo home run to tie the game at 1. Grichuk took him deep with one out in the sixth, marking the first time Guerra allowed multiple home runs in a game since June 4.
The Brewers' offense didn't give him much support.
Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single from Jonathan Lucroy, but after Guerra drew a leadoff double in the third - the first of his career - Jonathan Villar was caught in a rundown to end the inning.
Leake would go on to strike out six of his next seven batters and retired nine straight before Chris Carter led off the seventh with his first triple since May 2014. Once again, the Brewers couldn't cash in, going down in order against Leake, who faced just two over the minimum for his final four innings.
The Cardinals added an insurance run in the ninth when Jhonny Peralta reached on an error then scored on Adams' double. Wong scored on a Grichuk base hit to make it 5-1 and Seung Hwan Oh worked a perfect ninth to close out the victory.
NOTES: Brewers OF Domingo Santana will remain in Milwaukee through the break and continue rehabbing his sore right elbow. Manager Craig Counsell said Santana would travel with the team to Cincinnati next weekend and take part in on-field activities. If all goes well, he'd head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Santana has been on the disabled list since June 10. ... Cardinals LF Matt Holliday was out of the starting lineup for a second straight game because of a sore ankle. Manager Mike Matheny said Holliday could have started but he decided to give him a second day off to give him a full week of rest before returning to action after the All-Star break. ... A win Sunday would clinch the series victory for St. Louis, which has gone 12-0-1 in its last 13 series with Milwaukee and taken 26 of 28 since a three-game sweep by the Brewers in June 2011.