Ryan Braun hit his 350th career homer, a three-run blast in the first inning, and four Milwaukee pitchers held the visiting St. Louis Cardinals to two hits in helping the Brewers earn a doubleheader split with a 6-0 win in Wednesday's nightcap.
After sitting out Milwaukee's 4-2 loss in the doubleheader opener, Braun had two hits, highlighted by his milestone homer, as the hosts scored four times in the first inning. After Avisail Garcia was hit by a pitch and Christian Yelich walked, Braun drove a shot deep to left-center field for his sixth of the season.
Braun has hit 29 of those home runs against the Cardinals during his stellar career.
Braun alone provided more than enough run support for Milwaukee's pitchers, who combined for nine strikeouts.
Brent Suter allowed both of St. Louis' hits, both singles, over three innings, and Freddy Peralta (3-1) followed by striking out three in two innings. Devin Williams and Eric Yardley sealed the deal over the final two innings of the seven-inning affair.
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Milwaukee (23-26) took three of five from St. Louis (22-23) over the first three days of the week. Both teams are vying for a playoff spot in the National League.
Catcher Jacob Nottingham clubbed a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Orlando Arcia also had two hits for the Brewers, who will play the Cardinals five more times in St. Louis to end the regular season.
Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong were responsible for the Cardinals' two hits. Meanwhile, St. Louis rookie Johan Oviedo (0-3, 5.47 ERA) allowed five earned runs and seven hits while striking out five, walking two and hitting three batters over 5 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals played this game without manager Mike Shildt. He was not in the dugout for Game 2 while serving a one-game suspension for his involvement during a bench-clearing dust-up between the teams during St. Louis' 18-3 loss on Tuesday.
Tyler O'Neill and Brad Miller each hit solo homers and Adam Wainwright tossed his second complete game of 2020, albeit of the seven-inning variety, as the Cardinals took the opener of the doubleheader 4-2.
Miller finished with two hits and Tommy Edman drove home the tiebreaking run with a double in the fifth inning as the Cardinals overcame an early 2-0 deficit.
The 39-year-old Wainwright (5-1, 2.87 ERA), meanwhile, kept his team in the game by holding the Brewers scoreless after yielding Keston Hiura's two-run homer in the first inning.
Wainwright, who went the full nine innings during a 7-2 victory over Cleveland on Aug. 30, allowed four total hits, struck out nine and walked one over 102 pitches against the Brewers. Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff (2-4, 3.45 ERA) also went the distance of the seven-inning game, allowing three earned runs and seven hits while striking out five without a walk.
