Hall homers in 10th to lift Brewers over Cardinals

[July 22, 2008]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Bill Hall homered leading off the 10th inning, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 Monday after squandering a ninth-inning lead.

Milwaukee is 4-0 on its seven-game trip and a National League best 35-19 since May 20. The win moved the Brewers percentage points ahead of St. Louis for second place in the NL Central behind Chicago.

Hall's home run helped make a winner out of Solomon Torres (5-2), who gave up the tying run in the ninth. Torres also pitched the 10th.

The Brewers scored twice more in the 10th off Ryan Franklin (3-3) on a throwing error by second baseman Aaron Miles and an RBI single J.J. Hardy. Franklin allowed three runs -- two earned -- on four hits in 1 1-3 innings.

Hardy went 4-for-6. Rickie Weeks provided the rest of the Brewers' offense with a three-run home run.

Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus drove in two runs with a first-inning double off Seth McClung that extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Trailing 3-2 entering the ninth, Yadier Molina led off with a ground-rule double over the wall in right-center. Pinch-hitter Jason LaRue moved pinch-runner Brendan Ryan over to third with an infield single, and Ryan scored on Skip Schumaker's sacrifice fly to left. Torres retired Albert Pujols on a fly out to center with two men on to end the threat.

After spotting the Cardinals' a 2-0 lead, Weeks gave McClung and the Brewers the lead in the fifth.

With one out, Jason Kendall doubled down the right-field line and McClung followed with a single to center. Weeks then hit St. Louis starter Joel Pineiro's next pitch 431 feet into the third deck in left field for his eighth home run and a 3-2 Milwaukee lead.

Weeks' home run was one of 10 hits allowed by Pineiro in six innings. He also walked one while striking out two.

Notes: Brewers reliever Eric Gagne, who prior to Monday had a 9.00 ERA in four appearances since returning from the disabled list June 30, pitched a perfect seventh with two strikeouts in his first action since July 12. ... Milwaukee has homered in a season-high 17 straight games; the team record is 19 straight set from June 11-30, 1996. ... Ray Durham, acquired from San Francisco yesterday, saw his first action as a Brewer when he pinch-hit for Gagne in the eighth. With runners at second and third and one out, Durham grounded into a 5-2 fielder's choice. ... Russ Springer, who pitched a scoreless seventh, has allowed just two earned runs over his last 34 outings (25 2-3 innings, 0.70 ERA). ... Glaus is hitting .525 (21-for-40) during his 10-game hitting streak.

[Associated Press]

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