Cardinals avoid sweep, rally for 8-4 victory over Brewers

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tyler O’Neill and Lars Nootbaar hit back-to-back home runs in a five-run fifth inning to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 on Thursday night.

Nolan Arenado also drove in a pair of runs as St. Louis erased a three-run deficit to avoid a three-game sweep. The Cardinals sit 3 ½ games behind San Diego for the second National League wild-card spot.

“They threw their best arms at us,” O’Neill said. “Honestly that’s what we should expect being the Cardinals, anyway. We’re in the hunt. We’re obviously looking up on the leaderboard there right now, but it’s a day-by-day thing.”

Arenado started the two-out, fifth-inning rally with a run-scoring single to left off Brandon Woodruff (7-7) that plated Andrew Knizner, cutting the St. Louis deficit to 4-2.

O’Neill followed with a 450-foot, three-run homer to left field to put St. Louis ahead 5-4.

Two pitches later, Nootbaar hit his third home run of the season to right field for the Cardinals’ seventh set of back-to-back homers this season.

“Lars got a great swing and played some great ‘D’ out there, too,” O’Neill said. “It’s always sick going back-to-back with the boys.”

Jon Lester allowed four runs on six hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He was knocked to his knees in the first inning when Christian Yelich lined a ball off his right calf, but he was able to remain in the game.

“That’s one tough Hombré, that’s a man’s man,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “He went out there, didn’t make any excuses, said I’m going to figure out a way to keep pitching and did it. I’m sure it probably affected him some but we’ll probably never know the real truth.”

Junior Fernández (1-0), Luis García, Génesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and T.J....

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Cardinals-avoid-sweep-rally-for-8-4-victory-over-16399650.php