National League roundup

[May 19, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A few hours before game time, the Milwaukee Brewers were jolted by the news that Rickie Weeks would be lost for the season with a wrist injury.

"I love Rickie, and I told everybody that at the pregame," manager Ken Macha said. "He's a tremendous guy, but we need to go out and play, too.

"I thought we responded well."

They sure did. The Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with an 8-4 victory Monday night.

Braden Looper carried a two-hitter into the seventh to beat his former team, Mat Gamel made his first career start memorable with a three-run homer and Jason Kendall became the eighth full-time catcher to reach 2,000 hits.

That all helped the Brewers win their sixth in a row and 12th in 14 games despite the news that Weeks would require surgery for a left wrist injury with a recovery time of four to six months.

Milwaukee is a major league-best 20-5 since a 4-9 start heading into a three-game series beginning Tuesday at Houston.

"We're just going to get ready for tomorrow's game, that's the way you've got to approach it," Macha said. "You can't get too excited when you win a whole bunch, or you can't get excited when you lose a whole bunch."

The Cardinals' decision to start Kyle Lohse (3-3) on two days' rest after he worked two innings in Friday's rainout backfired. Lohse needed 89 pitches to work four innings and left trailing 4-0 after giving up consecutive doubles to J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun to start the third and then surrendering Gamel's homer.

Colby Rasmus and Skip Schumaker hit two-run homers in the seventh for St. Louis, which totaled two runs the first two games in the series. The Cardinals hope to activate Rick Ankiel and ace pitcher Chris Carpenter from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.

"I truly think we're going to be a different team when we get our boys back," Schumaker said.

La Russa blamed himself for going with Lohse, while the Brewers slotted Yovani Gallardo to get regular rest before his next outing Wednesday. The rainout boxed in the Cardinals, who had optioned Mitchell Boggs to Triple-A Memphis hours before the game and then ended up needing another starter.

"Pitching Kyle was a bad decision," La Russa said. "However I figured it, there was a better way to go, and I went the wrong way. I put him in a bad position to have a tough day and it's my fault."

Looper (4-2) became a starter with the Cardinals in 2007-08, but had to settle for a free-agent deal with Milwaukee after going 12-14 last year. He's 62-60 for his career, but is the winningest pitcher at 4-year-old Busch Stadium at 21-13 with a 3.52 ERA.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say it's a little extra sweet," Looper said.

The 23-year-old Gamel was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday and got his first start at third base ahead of Bill Hall, 1-for-15 against Lohse. He homered into the Cardinals' bullpen in right on a 1-2 pitch to put the Brewers ahead 4-0 in the third.

Kendall singled up the middle off Lohse with one out in the second for his milestone hit and added an RBI single in the fifth for his second straight two-hit game. He's 47 hits behind Johnny Bench for seventh on the list among players with at least 1,000 games as a catcher.

Dodgers 3, Mets 2, 11 innings

At Los Angeles, the New York Mets, who had the go-ahead run taken away on an appeal play after Ryan Church missed third base in the top of the 11th, committed two of their five errors in the bottom half.

Church singled with two outs against Ramon Troncoso (1-0) and came around on Angel Pagan's drive to the fence in right-center. But Church missed third base and the Dodgers appealed. So instead of an RBI triple, Pagan settled for a single, his fourth hit.

Mark Loretta walked to open the Dodgers 11th. Xavier Paul's fly ball to left-center against Brian Stokes (1-2) fell between Pagan and Carlos Beltran, who was charged with an error. An intentional walk loaded the bases and Rafael Furcal flied out to shallow left with New York employing a five-man infield.

Orlando Hudson hit a routine grounder to first, but Reed, who entered in the 10th as a pinch hitter, tried for the force at home and threw wildly past catcher Ramon Castro.

Rockies 5, Braves 1

At Atlanta, Colorado's Jason Marquis outdueled Derek Lowe in front of 15,364, the smallest paid crowd since the stadium opened in 1997.

Marquis (5-3) scattered five hits and allowed one run in eight innings to end a two-start losing streak. Lowe (5-2) was attempting to become the NL's first six-game winner, but allowed two runs, three hits and one walk in eight innings, losing for the first time in five starts.

The Braves dropped to 6-11 at Turner Field this season.

Pirates 12, Nationals 7

At Washington, the Nationals made four errors -- all on routine plays -- and the bullpen had another lead-blowing implosion in the loss to Pittsburgh.

A five-run sixth inning led Pittsburgh to its third straight win and ended an eight-game road losing streak.

Ross Ohlendorf (5-3) won despite allowing four extra-base hits in a five-run fifth. Craig Monroe hit a three-run homer, and Jack Wilson got four hits for the Pirates.

Washington reliever Garrett Mock (0-2) had a walk, a wild pitch, a hit batter and allowed Wilson's game-tying two-RBI double in 15 pitches in the sixth.

Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman, who has reached base safely in 36 straight games, hit back-to-back homers in the fifth for the Nationals.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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