|
 But with both of the struggling veterans seeking a day to rest,
Roenicke obliged and slotted light-hitting Logan Schafer and Gerardo
Parra into the top of the lineup.
And, because baseball is a notoriously unpredictable game, the move
paid off. Both collected two hits as the Brewers snapped out of an
offensive funk and avoided a sweep with 6-3 victory over the St.
Louis Cardinals.
"It's probably not good if your extras play better than your
starters," Roenicke said. "But a good game today. We got some big
hits -- we got a couple of lucky breaks -- but I thought they did a
great job."
Roenicke's batting order was full of seldom-seen names. Hector Gomez
took over at third for Ramirez while catcher Juan Centeno made his
Brewers debut as Roenicke gave Martin Maldonado a day off after
playing five straight since Jonathan Lucroy went down with a broken
toe.
All of those players chipped in, though. Milwaukee collected 10 hits
off Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn, who struck out six in his
five-inning effort.
""I wasn't good," Lynn said. "I didn't get the job done, plain and
simple. I've got to be better than that. It's just getting people
out when it's time to get them out. Wasn't able to do it when I was
supposed to today."
Schafer led off the third with a double and scored when Parra
followed with a triple. That brought up first baseman Adam Lind, who
gave the Brewers some rare breathing room with a two-run home run to
center, his third of the season.
"That was huge for us," Roenicke said. "To get three runs early, to
get a lead, and to get it with a home run which we haven't many of,
I thought that was huge to just get us going and get that good
feeling again."
St. Louis got a run back in the fourth when right fielder Jon Jay
singled and scored. Left fielder Mark Reynolds made it a 3-2 game
with a leadoff home run in the fifth, but the Brewers' offense
responded in the bottom of the inning.
Doubles by Parra, left fielder Khris Davis and second baseman Elian
Herrera made it a 5-2 game and Gomez drove in another with a two-out
single to left.
"That's something we've needed to do," Schafer said. "We've gone
through some things where the ball doesn't bounce our way or some
bad luck or something crazy, but tacking on those insurance runs is
something we need to continue to do because you never know what
happens. Any run we can get is great, but especially if we're ahead,
if we can just keep scratching out runs and keep them at bay, that's
what we're trying to do."
The rare offensive display took the pressure off right-hander Mike
Fiers, who has yet to resemble the player who was all but
un-hittable down the stretch last season.
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Fiers struck out six, but allowed nine hits and two walks over a
four-inning stint, but his bullpen picked up the slack.
Right-hander Michael Blazek (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings, and
right-hander Francisco Rodriguez earned his third save of the season
with a perfect ninth.
"It was good to see that even though I didn't have my best start, we
came out and played good team baseball and got a big win," Fiers
said.
Shortstop Jhonny Peralta had two hits, two walks and reached on a
fielder's choice, and Jay had three hits after taking over in the
third inning for Jason Heyward, who left the game with a groin
injury. But the Cardinals stranded 14 runners and were 2-for-10 with
runners in scoring position.
"We had all kinds of guys all over the bases today," Cardinals
manager Mike Matheny said. "We had, what, eight guys left on base in
the first three innings? We've got to put something across there,
that's all there is to it.
"Any pitcher is going to pitch just a little better when he's got a
little bit of support. Not an excuse. It wasn't one of (Lynn's) best
days. But he's been good for us."
Third baseman Matt Carpenter went 0-for-4 with a walk, ending his
hitting streak at 12 games.
NOTES: Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said he didn't think OF Jason
Heyward would miss significant time after suffering a groin injury
Sunday. ... St. Louis placed RHP Adam Wainwright on the 15-day
disabled list Sunday. He suffered a low left ankle injury Saturday
and will undergo an MRI Monday in St. Louis. According to multiple
reports, Wainwright may miss the rest of the season. ... With C
Yadier Molina still sidelined with a sore right knee, the Cardinals
recalled C Cody Stanley from Triple-A Memphis. Stanley made his
debut in the eighth inning and singled for his first major league
hit. ... Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez and RF Ryan Braun weren't in the
lineup Sunday after asking manager Ron Roenicke for a day off.
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