Brewers nip Cards 2-1, split series

WP: Tyler Thornburg (5-6); LP: Kevin Siegrist (5-3); Save: none; Home Runs: Mil., Bruan (27); St. L, none

Ryan Braun’s two out ninth inning homer proved decisive in Milwaukee’s 2-1 win in the series finale at Busch 3 in St. Louis this afternoon. Braun’s homer off of reliever Kevin Siegrist made a winner out of Tyler Thornburg, who had finished the eighth and pitched a perfect ninth to preserve his win.

The Brewers scored first, in the top of the first. Cards’ starter Luke Weaver gave up singles to Scooter Gennett and Braun, and a sacrifice fly to Chris Carter. Weaver shut out the Brewers the rest of his stint, going six innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out eight.

Ex-Brewers Jonathan Broxton and Zach Duke pitched perfect innings in the seventh and eighth respectively, and Siegrist’s first two outs in the ninth gave the St. Louis bullpen eight in a row before Braun connected on a 3-2 fastball.

Brewers’ rookie Zach Davies worked into the eighth, allowing five hits, walking one and fanning seven. He left with the lead, but Matt Carpenter scored on a sacrifice fly by Stephen Piscotty off of Thornburg. Carpenter had doubled off of Davies. Thornburg worked 1.2 innings of hitless, walkless ball, and struck out the Cards in order in the ninth.

The Brewers (64-79) go right back to work tomorrow night in Cincinnati, with Wily Peralta (6-9, 5.47) working on his late season bounce-back. He will be faced by the Reds’ (60-82) Keyvius Sampson (0-1, 3.90). Six of the Brewers last nineteen games are against the Reds, with fourth place in the central and a better draft position on the line. What’s important to us might not be important to Craig Counsell and the team, but at this point the player you take at the ninth position could very well be better than the one taken fifth or sixth.