Dexter’s Day: Cardinals fly over Brewers, 13-5, on Monday

A rally after the stretch led the Cardinals to a 13-5 victory over the Brewers on Monday in the series opener at Busch Stadium. With the win, the Cardinals and Brewers are even in the win column with 13 apiece.

(Hey, Christian Yelich went 0-for-4. He entered today with a .500 average and eight home runs in seven games against the Cardinals this season.)

The Cardinals scored a run in the second inning, two in the fourth, two in the fifth, seven in the seventh, and another in the eighth to total 13 runs on 18 hits. Brewers starter Adrian Houser allowed five runs, and reliever Jacob Barnes was tagged for a handful in the seven-run seventh. St. Louis capped off their night against Aaron Wilkerson, who was charged for three runs. All runs in this game were earned, with no errors on either side.

Dexter Fowler had a a great night at the dish, and that was definitely refreshing to see. Fowler went 4-for-5 on Monday, leading the Cardinals with four RBIs and three runs scored. For Fowler, it was his sixth multi-hit game of the season and first with more than two hits. Fowler’s two-run homer in the fourth inning was his first long ball since last July. Fowler entered the game batting .274 with two RBIs; he left with a .313 and six. This is the first time Fowler’s average has been above .300 in over two years.

Paul Goldschmidt had a three-hit night, highlighted by his ninth homer of the season. Goldy is up to a nine-game hitting streak, dating back to 4/11 against the Dodgers. Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, and Jose Martinez each had two hits, and every starting position player scored at least one run. Lane Thomas and Drew Robinson pinch hit and entered the game as outfielders; Thomas knocked in a pair of runs on a single in the seventh, and Robinson scored in the eighth for his first in the Majors.

On the pitching side, Jack Flaherty rebounded well after he was roughed up in last outing against these Brewers. Flaherty needed 103 pitches (67 strikes) to work six innings and fan a season-high 10 batters. For the first time in his career, Flaherty allowed three home runs in a game; Yasmani Grandal, Hernan Perez, and Ryan Braun took the 23-year-old deep. Travis Shaw homered in the ninth inning, making this the first game the Brewers have hit four homers in and lost since 2015.

In relief of Flaherty, John Brebbia, Dominic Leone, and Giovanny Gallegos each worked an inning. Gallegos allowed the above-mentioned homer to Shaw, but aside from that, the bullpen posted zeroes.

The Cardinals and Brewers will play again Tuesday at Busch. St. Louis will send Daniel Ponce De Leon to the mound in place of Michael Wacha to face Zach Davies and the Brewers at 6:45 PM.