Gerardo Parra is greeted at home plate by Matt Clark after 4th inning home run. – UPI/Bill Greenblatt
The Milwaukee Brewers are fighting to stay in the National League playoff picture. They came from behind to knock off the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in 12-innings on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. It ended a string of eight straight Cardinal victories over the Brewers at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis scored two runs in the first inning off of Wily Peralta, but it could have been worse. Peralta walked in a run and faced the bases loaded with no outs. But Peralta got Jhonny Peralta to ground into a 6-4-3 double play that made it 2-0. Yadier Molina followed with a comebacker to Wily Peralta and the damage was minimal.
Peralta and the rest of the Brewers pitching staff then held the Cardinals scoreless for the next 11 innings to pull out the win.
Gerardo Parra gave the Brewers one run when he homered off of Cardinals starter Lance Lynn in the fourth.
Then with Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal on in the 9th to try to save the Cardinal win, rookie Matt Clark lifted a fly ball to left to drive in the tying run. It stayed 2-2 until the 12th when Carlos Gomez singled, stole second and third and then scored in a Hector Gomez bloop single to right drive in the game winner.
While the Brewers moved to within 4-games of the division lead, they could only keep pace with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who beat Boston last night. The Brewers remain 1 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the final wildcard spot in the National League.
Mike Fiers pitches game two against Adam Wainwright tonight. Fiers returns, six days after unintentionally hitting Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton in the face with a fastball, ending his season.