By MATT PIKE
Jake Bauers hit a three-run home run and the Milwaukee Brewers used a four-run third inning to push past the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4 at Busch Stadium claim four of five games in the series.
Brice Turang also added his 13th homer of the season in the win as Milwaukee won four games in a series at St. Louis for the second time in franchise history and the first time since 2008.
Sal Frelick and Cooper Pratt each had RBI singles in the second inning, driving in Bauers and Andrew Vaughn respectively, to give the Brewers an early 2-0 lead. Turang opened what turned out to be the decisive third with an RBI single, bringing home Garrett Mitchell, before Bauers hit his 17th home run of the season into the seats in right, driving in Jackson Chourio and Turang, giving Milwaukee a 6-0 lead it never surrendered.
Lars Nootbaar had an RBI single for St. Louis in the fourth inning, driving in Alec Burleson, and Jordan Walker continued to cut into the Brewers lead adding a three-run home run, bringing home JJ Wetherholt and Burleson, in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the Milwaukee lead to 6-4. Walker, who is a first time All Star and recently announced he would participate in the Home Run Derby, became the sixth Cardinals player to have 73 or more RBI's before to the All-Star break since 1955.
In the seventh inning though, Turang hit a solo home run to center in the extending the lead to 7-4. Milwaukee added one final run of insurance in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by William Contreras, scoring Chourio. The Brewers with the win handed Andre Pallante just his third loss in his last 10 starts, falling to 10-6 on the season, allowing six runs on eight hits in five innings while striking out two and walking two.
At the plate, Wetherholt had two of the Cardinals five hits, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Walker was 1-for-4 with three RBI's while Burleson was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring two runs. Nootbaar, the only other Cardinal to get a hit on the night, was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Next, St. Louis will welcome Atlanta to Busch Stadium for a three game weekend series, the final series in the first half of the MLB season before the All Star break. Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.86 ERA, 73K's) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Chris Sale (9-6, 2.27 ERA, 112K's) for the Braves. First pitch is at 7:15pm, coverage begins at 6:15 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).
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