Wainwright stifles Brewers, Cardinals win 7-1

[July 05, 2010]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Adam Wainwright threw a five-hitter and hit a three-run double off fellow first-time All-Star Yovani Gallardo, who left in the third inning with a side injury, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 Sunday.

Wainwright's double was the big hit in a five-run third as the Cardinals capitalized on consecutive fielding errors by shortstop Alcides Escobar. Gallardo (8-4) was hurt on the second pitch to the next hitter, Tyler Greene, clutching his side and then departing after visiting with a trainer.

Another Brewers All-Star, Corey Hart, homered for the lone damage against Wainwright (12-5), who struck out nine and walked none for his fourth complete game of the season and seventh of his career.

No other Brewers hitter made it past first base until the eighth against the right-hander who finished third in the NL Cy Young balloting last year.

Wainwright is 9-0 with a 1.30 ERA in nine starts with three complete games, including a two-hit shutout over the Brewers on June 4. He needed only 99 pitches to polish off the Brewers in 88-degree heat, giving the Cardinals a four-game split to end a 4-3 homestand.

Escobar had a tough day all around, also grounding into two double plays.

Gallardo allowed six runs in 2 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season, but only one run was earned. Reliever Carlos Villanueva followed with 3 1-3 hitless innings.

Jon Jay homered with two RBIs and Yadier Molina drew his eighth career bases-loaded walk on the at-bat preceding Wainwright's three-run double to right-center.

Hart is batting .358 (29 for 81) with two homers and 19 RBIs during a 19-game hitting streak, the longest in the NL this year and the longest active streak in the majors. He has 16 homers and 49 RBIs the last 47 games since May 19, best in the majors during that stretch.

The Cardinals scored all five runs in the third with two outs. Escobar booted Jay's grounder to allow one run to score and then couldn't handle Skip Schumaker's broken-bat spinning bouncer.

NOTES: The Cardinals are 33-19 when Carpenter, Wainwright and Jaime Garcia pitch and 12-18 otherwise. ... Pujols and the Brewers' Jim Edmonds have 386 homers apiece, tied for 53rd on the career list and three behind Johnny Bench. ... The Cardinals shifted their infield defense perfectly against Prince Fielder, with 2B Schumaker right in position in shallow right for a liner in the first and again for a groundout in the fourth.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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