Lucroy homers in 10th, Brewers defeat Cardinals

[April 15, 2013]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Jonathan Lucroy hit a solo home run in the 10th inning as the Milwaukee Brewers first figured out how to score again, then rallied past the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 Sunday and avoided a sweep.

The Brewers had gone a team-record 32 innings without scoring before Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer off reliever Trevor Rosenthal in the eighth that made it 3-2.

Braun's second home run of the season snapped a 39-inning shutout streak for St. Louis pitchers. The Brewers had not scored since the second inning Tuesday against the Cubs.

Milwaukee tied it in the ninth on a leadoff single by Carlos Gomez and an RBI double by Yuniesky Betancourt off Mitchell Boggs. The Cardinals' closer-for-now left without retiring a batter and blew his second save in five chances.

After retiring Rickie Weeks on a fly to start the 10th, Fernando Salas (0-2) gave up Lucroy's first home run of the season.

Brandon Kintzler (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth and got the first out in the 10th. Burke Badenhop retired pinch-hitter Carlo Beltran on a grounder for the final out and his first save.

Matt Adams had another big day in the loss for St. Louis, as he had a solo home run and a single in four at-bats. Adams has homered in three straight games and has a hit in all five games he has played.

Adams is batting .611 (11-for-18) with three homers and eight RBI.

Matt Holliday had an RBI single and Yadier Molina an RBI double for the other St. Louis runs.

The Cardinals broke through for the game's first two runs against Marco Estrada with four consecutive two-out hits in the third, including an RBI single by Holliday and an RBI double to the gap by Molina. Allen Craig was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Molina's hit.

Adams made it five straight hits when he led off the fourth with a 419-foot homer to center that made it 3-0.

NOTES: Molina received his fifth consecutive Gold Glove award before the game. ... Milwaukee hitters in the cleanup spot are 2 for 30 since Aramis Ramirez went on the disabled list on April 6. Weeks was hitless in four tries from that spot Sunday, completing a 1-for-21 road trip. ... On Saturday, Adam Wainwright became the first St. Louis pitcher with a shutout in which he struck out at least one batter in every inning since Bob Gibson accomplished the feat on June 17, 1970, at San Diego.

[Associated Press]

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