(19-11) at Milwaukee 
(14-15)May 5, 2013
2:10 PM ET, 1:10 PM CT, 12:10 PM MT, 11:10 AM PT
Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TV: FSMW, FSWI
RADIO: KMOX 1120
Flashchat Link: http://www.gatewayredbirds.com/forum/chat/flashchat.php
J. Garcia (3-1, 2.50) M. Estrada (2-1, 4.58)
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/cardinals- ... --mlb.html
The Series:The St. Louis Cardinals are finding Miller Park's dimensions very much to their liking.
That doesn't bode well for Milwaukee right-hander Marco Estrada.
The Cardinals will try to continue their power surge and complete a four-game sweep of the Brewers on Sunday.
Jon Jay homered for the first time since April 10 and drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, while Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso each hit their first homers to lead St. Louis to a 7-6 win Saturday.
"That's probably the first time that's happened,'' Jay said of the home runs from the three of them.
After totaling two homers over their previous six contests, the NL Central-leading Cardinals (19-11) have hit five in their last two while extending their winning streak to a season-high five games.
St. Louis, which ranks near the bottom third of the majors with 26 home runs, has hit two or more in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Now the Cardinals look to carry over that momentum against Estrada (2-1, 4.58 ERA) as they seek their longest winning streak since an eight-game run from July 11-21, 2010.
Estrada has had trouble keeping the ball in the park, surrendering 10 total home runs and allowing at least one in each of his six starts. He's allowed 2.55 homers per nine innings, the worst ratio in the majors.
Estrada surrendered a season-high three homers while giving up five runs in five innings, but left without a decision in a 12-8 win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
He's 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals after allowing three runs - including a Matt Adams homer - over six innings in a 4-3, 10-inning win at St. Louis on April 14.
Yadier Molina is 7 for 13 with a homer against Estrada, while Carlos Beltran has homered for his only hit in eight career at-bats in this matchup.
Estrada, though, is tied for the team lead with four quality starts and the Brewers (14-15) have won four of his last five outings.
Milwaukee faces another tough test against left-hander Jaime Garcia (3-1, 2.50) as it tries to avoid matching a season-worst five-game skid.
Garcia handcuffed the Brewers on April 14, scattering seven hits over seven shutout innings before Milwaukee rallied late for the win.
He seeks his third straight winning start after yielding one run on seven hits over eight innings in a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday. Garcia recorded 18 groundball outs, utilizing a St. Louis defense that ranks near the top of the NL with a .988 fielding percentage.
"With the defense we have, you want to make them hit the ball on the ground,'' Garcia said. "I'm confident that they'll make the plays.''
Garcia, however, hasn't had fared too well in five career starts - including a loss in the 2011 postseason - at Miller Park, where's he's 2-2 with a 6.84 ERA.
Ryan Braun is hitting .355 with 18 homers and 45 RBIs off left-handers over the past two seasons, but has batted .188 with one homer in 32 career at-bats against Garcia.
Carlos Gomez went 2 for 4 with a homer Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. He's hitting .488 with four homers and seven RBIs during that span and is batting an NL-best .373.
The Cardinals have never swept a four-game series from the Brewers.
St. Louis leads season series 4-1
May 2, 2013-St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 5
May 3, 2013-St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 1
May 4, 2013-St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 6
May 5, 2013-STL (Garcia) @ MIL (Estrada)-1:10 PM CDT
Miller Park,One Brewers Way, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214
Baseball Reference 2013 Cardinals Statistics
2013 Current MLB Standings
2013 Current MLB Wild Card Standings
2013 Current MLB vs. Division Standings
2013 Current MLB vs. Expanded Standings
Last Game:
St. Louis 7, Milwaukee 6
WP: S. Maness (1-0) S: E. Mujica (8)
LP: J. Henderson (2-1)
HR: STL - A. Craig (1), J. Jay (3), D. Descalso (1), MIL - J. Segura (4), C. Gomez (6)
Descalso's two-run homer
Craig's solo jack
Jay's four-RBI gamer
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=330504108
Cardinals beat Brewers 7-6.
By JOE TOTORAITIS, Associated Press
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Jon Jay homered and drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth and Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso each hit home runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Shane Robinson singled to center and then took second on center fielder Carlos Gomez 's fielding error off Jim Henderson (2-1) who started the ninth for Milwaukee with the game tied at 6. Robinson stole third and then scored when Jay singled up the middle, the last lead change in a back-and-forth game.
Jay hit a three-run home run in the second, Craig connected for a solo shot in the sixth and Descalso put the Cardinals ahead with a two-run homer in the seventh.
The Brewers trailed by one in the eighth when they got one-out singles that put runners on the corners. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny brought in Randy Choate . Norichika Aoki dropped a perfect bunt down as pinch-runner Jeff Bianchi raced home and slide feet first, avoiding catcher Yadier Molina 's tag. Seth Maness (1-0) came on and got the Cardinals out of the jam, getting Jean Segura to hit into a double play.
Maness earned his first major league win. Edward Mujica pitched the ninth for his eighth save.
Descalso hit his first homre of the season off reliever Tom Gorzelanny who came on for starter Yovani Gallardo . The Milwaukee right-hander looked liked he might pick up the win after Milwaukee went ahead 5-4 in the sixth.
That didn't happen, but it kept Gallardo from suffering another loss to St. Louis. He came in 1-10 in 15 starts.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright gave up Segura's two-run home run in the first, but nothing more until three runs in the sixth ended his start and put the Brewers ahead 5-4.
Gomez hit a one-out solo home run. Martin Maldonado singled, advanced on Alex Gonzalez ' single and both scored on pinch-hitter Jonathan Lucroy 's double. After Wainwright hit Aoki for the second time in the game, Kelly took over and got Segura to hit into a double play.
Wainwright went 5 1-3, allowed 11 hits, the most since he gave up 11 on Opening Day at Arizona, and struck out five.
His first three pitches of the game hurt, especially the one that snapped his streak of not allowing a home run this season.
On a 1-0 pitch, Aoki' singled. Then first-pitch swinging Segura hit his fourth home run of the season.
Jay's three-run homer in the second erased Milwaukee's 2-0 lead.
Craig singled and advanced on David Freese ' hit up the middle which Gallardo deflected just enough to cause shortstop Segura to backtrack and then throw late to second for the force. Jay crushed a 2-0 pitch for his third of the season.
After Jay's home run, Gallardo retired 13 of the next 14 batter, but then gave up Craig' homer into the Cardinals' bullpen in right-center field.
NOTES: Brewers INF Yunieskey Betancourt' single in the first was the 1,000th of his career. ... Brewers OF Carlos Gomez extended his hitting streak to 11 games with single in the first and raised his NL-leading batting average to .374. ... Cardinals RHP Jake Westbrook is the only starting pitcher in the NL who has not allowed a home run this season. ... Brewers 3B Aramis Rameriz sat out the game in a precautionary move. He played Friday night after missing 23 games due to a sprained right knee.
