Ivan Herrera delivered the hit the Milwaukee Brewers did not want to see. After an intentional walk to JJ Wetherholt loaded the bases in the fourth inning Monday night at Busch Stadium, Herrera drove in runs to push the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-0 lead in a 6-3 victory.
The Cardinals had already built the lead with work from the top of the order. Masyn Winn walked in the second inning, advanced when Victor Scott II singled, and scored on a single by Wetherholt. Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker later helped keep the offense moving, with Winn driving in Walker on a sharp single into right-center in the seventh and Scott doubling into left-center in the ninth for another chance to score.
Kyle Leahy gave St. Louis the kind of start that lets a lineup breathe. He held Milwaukee scoreless for 5 1/3 innings before allowing a run in the sixth, finishing with six hits allowed, one earned run, five strikeouts and two walks. The Brewers finally broke through after Leahy exited, but by then the Cardinals were still in control.
That control did not last cleanly to the finish. Gordon Graceffo allowed a double to Jackson Churrio and a 414-foot two-run home run to Turang in the ninth, and Milwaukee cut the lead to 6-3 after a screaming single to center by Contreras. Riley O'Brien came in to shut the door, and St. Louis escaped with the win in an NL Central matchup that showed why Wetherholt's bat keeps drawing attention; he had another multi-hit game Monday night.
The Cardinals got the run they needed when Milwaukee chose to pitch around Wetherholt in the fourth, a decision that put Herrera in the spot where one swing could change the inning. He did exactly that. On a night when the Brewers kept trying to slow the rookie's impact, St. Louis kept finding a way to make the next hitter pay.
