Martinez tosses gem as Cardinals blank Brewers

[April 05, 2018]  Carlos Martinez fired four-hit ball over 8 1/3 scoreless innings Wednesday night as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Bouncing back from a dismal Opening Day start Thursday at the New York Mets, who knocked him out in the fifth inning of a 9-4 loss, Martinez (1-1) walked two and fanned 10. He struck out every Milwaukee starter except Travis Shaw and Manny Pina.

St. Louis (3-3) touched Brewers starter Jhoulys Chacin (0-1) for seven hits and six runs, three earned, over 5 2/3 innings. Chacin walked two and whiffed five.

The Cardinals took the lead two batters into the game. Dexter Fowler led off with a double and took third on the first of three Milwaukee errors. Tommy Pham knocked him in with an infield out.

St. Louis upped the lead to 3-0 in the third. After Fowler walked and Pham smacked a ground-rule double, Matt Carpenter's groundout plated Fowler. Marcell Ozuna cashed in Pham with a two-out single.

Yadier Molina made it 4-0 in the fourth, lashing the inning's first pitch 399 feet over the wall in left.

 

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez (18) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals capped the scoring in the sixth with the help of two Brewers miscues. Molina's sacrifice fly sent Ozuna home, and a throwing error after Kolten Wong's infield hit enabled Paul DeJong to score.

Milwaukee (4-2) nearly spoiled the shutout in the ninth, but reliever Bud Norris induced a bases-loaded 1-2-3 double play from Pina to end it.

--Field Level Media

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