Brewers 1 - 0 Cardinals
Final
  for this game

Cardinals put current surge to the test against Brewers

Jun 1, 2015 - 2:29 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Cardinals try to stay hot on Monday when they open a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis won for the sixth time in seven tries on Sunday, as Carlos Martinez pitched seven strong innings to propel the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Martinez (5-2) allowed just one hit and walked three while striking out eight. Jhonny Peralta hit a two-run homer and drove in three for the Cardinals, who own the best record in the majors at 33-17.

"This was one of his best outings yet," said St. Louis manager Mike Matheny about Martinez. "From the first pitch to the last one, he turned it up a notch. He was very consistent with all his pitches."

Heading to the hill for the Cardinals on Monday will be lefty Jaime Garcia, who picked up his first win of the season his last time out. Garcia beat the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, as he surrendered four runs (3 earned) and eight hits in six innings to even his record at 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA.

Garcia is 6-3 lifetime versus the Brewers with a 3.26 ERA in 13 games (12 starts).

Milwaukee, meanwhile, had planned on throwing Matt Garza in Monday's opener, but the right-hander pitched the final five innings of Sunday's marathon, 7-6, win in 17 innings over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Martin Maldonado ended the Brewers seven-game losing streak as well as the longest game in Miller Park history with a home run to straightaway center off Vidal Nuno to cap a four-hit, two-RBI day for the catcher.

"I saw something up and put a good swing on it," Maldonado said. "That's what I was looking for. I was really tired so I was happy to end the game like that."

Garza (3-7) tossed five scoreless innings in a superb emergency relief effort.

"These guys laid it down for 17 (innings). Whatever they need, I was going to do," Garza said. "After the second inning I knew I had ruined my start, so I said, 'Why not? Let's go.'"

So today, it'll be Mike Fiers, who is 1-5 with a 4.53 ERA. Fiers lost to San Francisco on Wednesday, despite a solid showing that saw him allow just a pair of runs in five innings.

Fiers, who hasn't won since beating the Chicago Cubs back on May 2, is 2-2 in eight games (6 starts) versus the Cardinals and has yielded only seven earned runs to them in 37 1/3 innings (1.69).

St. Louis has won four of six from the Brewers this season and has taken the last six series from them.






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