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Fielder, Braun homer as Brewers rout Wainwright, Cards

Sep 25, 2007 - 4:23 AM MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers won't be going down without a last word.

In a game that featured three Milwaukee ejections, the Brewers did plenty of talking with their bats as well in a 13-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

With the win, the Brewers (80-76) moved within three games of the idle Chicago Cubs (83-73), whose magic number remained at four for clinching the National League Central with six games remaining.

Prince Fielder's majestic 458-foot home run - tied for the sixth-longest in Miller Park history - brought home three runs and gave the Brewers a 4-0 lead in the first inning against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (13-12).

"We've got to win every game, honestly," Fielder said. "Then you can go home without wanting to kill yourself, making sure you gave it your all and did your best."

Fielder finished a triple shy of the cycle and Ryan Braun added a two-run homer in the sixth as part of a three-run rally. Braun finished with three RBI and three runs scored and Rickie Weeks was on base five times and scored three runs.

"How about those two kids, Fielder and Braun?" manager Ned Yost said. "They've got to be two of the best run producers in baseball, and they're both so young."

With 81 home runs, the pair now has more blasts than any two teammates in Milwaukee history, eclipsing the 79 set on two previous occasions.

Milwaukee catcher Damian Miller's bases-clearing double was the crown jewel of a five-run rally in the fifth that broke the game open.

"You have a long season and you're going to deal with a lot of stuff," Miller said. "Just the character of the guys on the team, how guys can brush it off and give them tomorrow, that's what's impressive to me. Guys at such a young age being able to do that ... it's been fun to watch."

Miller was watching the latter third of the game from the clubhouse after earning one of three ejections handed out by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, who tossed hitting coach Jim Skaalen and the Brewers catcher after a called third strike in the sixth.

"It's all forgotten now," said Miller, who trotted out in full catcher's gear in the top of the seventh before getting the heave-ho, a moment he termed "premeditated frustration."

"I've forgotten about the whole thing, and I'm sure I'm not the first guy Phil Cuzzi has thrown out of the game."

He also wasn't the last. Yost was later ejected for the second consecutive game after Cuzzi ruled Rick Ankiel safe at home plate on a close play in the seventh.

Ankiel scored on Ryan Ludwick's two-run single, part of a three-run seventh that chased Milwaukee starter Dave Bush (14-11), who allowed five runs - three earned - on nine hits in 6 2/3 frames.

"The offense gave me everything I could ask for tonight," Bush said. "We don't have a whole lot of room for error and have to win just about every game."

Wainwright was victimized by porous defense, with three St. Louis errors leading to five unearned runs. The righthander allowed four earned runs on eight hits in five innings with seven strikeouts.

"He wasn't quite sharp enough in the first inning and they jumped him," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

Gary Bennett, who figures to see increased playing time with word that knee surgery had ended starting backstop Yadier Molina's season, hit a two-run home run against Bush in the fourth.