Lance Lynn got the win against the Brewers. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
ST. LOUIS — Six St. Louis relievers closed the door on Milwaukee after starter Lance Lynn allowed one run in five innings as the Cardinals defeated the Brewers 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Lynn, who won the 50th game of his career, scattered six hits while pitching out of several tough situations and left the game after throwing 99 pitches.
The Brewers punched out 10 hits but left 11 runners on base, including three on second and three on third.
Trevor Rosenthal notched his third save of the season, although he allowed a run in the ninth after the other five relievers — Kevin Siegrist, Seth Maness, Matt Belisle, Randy Choate and Jordan Walden — gave up no runs and four hits in three innings.
The Cardinals jumped on Brewers starter Wily Peralta for two runs in the bottom of the first, stringing together three hits in the first three batters on just six pitches.
Third baseman Matt Carpenter led off the game with a single up the middle. Right fielder Jason Heyward laced a double down the left field line, sending Carpenter to third. Left fielder Matt Holliday then also went the other way, stroking a single to right on the first pitch, scoring Carpenter and Heyward.
The Brewers cut the lead in half in the third when catcher Jonathan Lucroy worked Lynn for a one-out walk, just the eighth walk given up by Cardinals starters in their first 39 2/3 innings.
After right fielder Ryan Braun sent Lucroy to second with a single to right, third baseman Aramis Ramirez scored Lucroy with a two-out single that fell just in front of center fielder Jon Jay after a Lynn strikeout of first baseman Adam Lind. It was just the second time this season that a player walked by a St. Louis starter came around to score.
St. Louis extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta, Jay and catcher Yadier Molina opened the inning with singles, with Peralta scoring on Molina’s second hit of the game. Then, with two outs, Carpenter bounced a double off the wall in right field, scoring Jay, but the slow-footed Molina was stopped at third. Heyward bounced out to second to end the inning.
NOTES: Brewers OF Gerardo Parra started in left field for the first time this season. He replaced Khris Davis, who had started all seven games in left and reached base safely in each game. Parra, who had two previous starts this year in right field, homered off Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn in St. Louis on Sept. 16. … Lynn made the 99th start of his career on Wednesday night. … The open date Tuesday was the fourth for the Cardinals in the first 10 days of the season thanks to three scheduled off days and a postponed game in Chicago. … Similar to other games around Major League Baseball, all players, coaches and managers wore uniform No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day on the 68th anniversary of his debut as the first African-American player. … Brewers CF Carlos Gomez limped off the field after beating out a potential double play in the top of the ninth.
