ST. LOUIS (AP) Jesus Aguilar doesn’t need to worry about a Mother’s Day present. It was sitting in a paper cup in his locker.
Aguilar’s first major league home run broke a seventh-inning tie, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over the banged-up St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Thursday night. He’s giving the ball to his mother.
“Right away, knew it was out of here, and haven’t stopped smiling since,” Aguilar said through an interpreter.
Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty left after the second inning with a strained right hamstring and center fielder Dexter Fowler came out following the third with a strained right shoulder.
Fowler was being evaluated postgame, and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Piscotty would remain in St. Louis while the team travels to Atlanta for a series starting Friday night.
Piscotty pulled up after crossing first base on his grounder to third. Fowler was hurt in an unsuccessful attempt for a diving catch on Hernan Perez‘s third-inning drive.
Randal Grichuk moved from left to center and Aledmys Diaz shifted from shortstop to left in the first outfield appearance of his professional career.
“The first inning was weird, but after that I felt pretty normal,” Diaz said.
Matheny said outfielder Tommy Pham will meet the team in Atlanta from Triple-A Memphis.
Milwaukee won its first series at St. Louis since April 28-30, 2014, ending a streak of 15 series losses and two splits.
“It’s awesome for the team morale and I think it’s awesome for our confidence,” said Keon Broxton, who had four hits for the Brewers. “I think it’s making a statement around the league that we’re not as bad as people think we are.”
With the score 4-4, Aguilar pinch hit for pitcher Oliver Drake (2-0) and homered against Matt Bowman (1-1) in his 100th career big league at-bat over four seasons.
“It was a beautiful spot for it,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Everybody in there is so happy for him. It was the most excited I’ve seen our team this year.”
Broxton was a triple shy of the cycle for the Brewers, including an RBI double in the third and a home run in the fifth against Adam Wainwright that tied the score 4-4.
“His swings tonight were just a step forward,” Counsell said. “He was in the right place tonight, no question. They were opposite field, well-struck baseballs and then when he got the count in his favor he did some damage.”
Drake got his second win of the series, striking out Matt Carpenter to strand runners at second and third in the sixth inning. Neftali Feliz walked Carpenter leading off the ninth, then got three straight outs for his eighth save in nine chances.
Wainwright gave up four runs and 10 hits in five innings. Brewers starter Chase Anderson allowed four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Fowler hit a two-run triple in a three-run second, but Travis Shaw had a two-run double in the third and scored on Broxton’s double. Yadier Molina‘s RBI single put the Cardinals ahead 4-3 in the bottom half.
WEB GEMS
Piscotty threw out Broxton at the plate when he tried to score on Anderson’s single. … Grichuk made a leaping catch against the wall to rob Jonathan Villar of a leadoff extra base hit in the third.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: LF Ryan Braun (right trapezius soreness) missed his third straight game.
Cardinals: INF Jhonny Peralta (upper respiratory illness) is to begin a rehab assignment at Class A Palm Beach on Friday.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (1-2, 5.34 ERA) is slated to start the opener of a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Friday. Nelson is 2-2 with a 2.96 ERA in five starts at PNC Park.
Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (3-1, 2.45 ERA) is to pitch the first game of a three-game series at Atlanta.
Photo credit – Jeff Roberson / Associated Press / St. Louis, MO
