Brewers edge Cardinals with Cain’s game-saving catch

[March 29, 2019]    Christian Yelich belted a three-run homer and Lorenzo Cain made a leaping catch for the final out as the host Milwaukee Brewers posted a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in their season opener on Thursday afternoon.

Mike Moustakas launched a solo homer and starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (1-0) did the same to highlight his two-hit performance.

Chacin overcame surrendering back-to-back homers by Kolten Wong and Harrison Bader in the second to toss 5 1/3 strong innings. He allowed three runs on as many hits while striking out seven before Junior Guerra yielded a homer to Wong to lead off the seventh.

Josh Hader struck out the side in the eighth on 11 pitches and fanned Dexter Fowler in the ninth before Jose Martinez's towering shot to center field was caught as Cain extended his glove over the wall. Hader notched his first save.

Wong joined Albert Pujols as the lone Cardinals player to record a multi-homer performance on Opening Day. The team is bidding to get back on track after missing the playoffs in three straight seasons.

Marquee offseason acquisition Paul Goldschmidt wasn't as fortunate, going 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his debut with the Cardinals after signing a five-year, $130 million contract last week.

After St. Louis' three-run outburst in the top of the second inning, Moustakas launched a towering, two-out homer in the bottom of the frame to put the Brewers on the scoreboard.

Chacin and Cain had one-out singles in the third before Yelich deposited an inside fastball from Miles Mikolas (0-1) just over the glove of center fielder Bader to give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead.

Yelich picked up where he left off from last season's National League MVP performance when he nearly won the Triple Crown, capturing the NL batting title (.326) while finishing in a third-place tie in homers (36) and second in RBIs (110).

Chacin doubled the advantage with one out in the fifth inning after hitting a 2-2 slider from Mikolas over the wall in center field. The home run was Chacin's second of his career and first by a Brewers pitcher on Opening Day.

Chacin struck out the side in the first inning and retired his first five batters overall before issuing a two-out walk to Fowler. Wong followed by hitting a first-pitch fastball over the right-center field wall and Bader sent another letter-high fastball over the wall in left field for a 3-0 lead in the second inning.

--Field Level Media

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