Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals Match Player Stats On Jun 14, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 15, 2017

ST. LOUIS -- A six-run lead after an inning and a half was barely enough for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In a game held up by a pair of rain delays totaling 1 hour and 50 minutes, Milwaukee held off the St. Louis Cardinals for a 7-6 decision that ended early Thursday morning at soggy Busch Stadium.

Hernan Perez's RBI single in the top of the seventh inning gave the Brewers (35-32) a 7-4 lead just before play was halted for 50 minutes.

As rain resumed again in the eighth, St. Louis shortstop Aledmys Diaz lined a two-run homer to left to bring his team within a run. Shortly after Diaz completed his trot, the grounds crew raced on the field to cover it for an hour's delay.

Corey Knebel preserved the result for Milwaukee, getting the final four outs for his 10th save in 13 chances.

Matt Garza (3-2) picked up the win, allowing four runs and five hits in five innings. He walked two and whiffed four.

Mike Leake (5-6) gave up six runs and nine hits over six innings in losing his fourth consecutive start for the Cardinals (30-34). Leake walked two and fanned three.

It took an hour for the teams to wheeze through the first two innings, which featured 10 runs and a half-dozen extra-base hits.

Eric Thames put Milwaukee ahead two batters into the game, whacking his 17th homer of the year, to right-center field, after Eric Sogard drew a leadoff walk.

The Brewers then abused Leake for four runs in the second. Sogard laced a two-run double to left-center, Thames lined an RBI double down the right-field line and Travis Shaw made it 6-0 with a run-scoring single to right.

St. Louis inflicted similar atrocities upon Garza in its half of the second. Jose Martinez rifled a two-run triple past a diving Keon Broxton in right-center. Kolten Wong lined an RBI double to right-center and then scored on Matt Carpenter's double down the right-field line.

NOTES: Milwaukee designated former closer Neftali Feliz for assignment. The veteran right-hander, signed for $5.25 million in the offseason, was 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA and eight saves in 29 appearances. He allowed his eighth homer in 27 innings Tuesday. ... St. Louis 2B Kolten Wong (right forearm tightness) left the game before the start of the sixth inning and was replaced by Greg Garcia. ... The Cardinals optioned LHP Marco Gonzales to Triple-A Memphis. Gonzales started the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader as the team's 26th man.