Brewers open game division lead after St. Louis wins

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The Milwaukee Brewers have opened up a one-and-a-half game lead in the National League Central, after winning at Saint Louis Sunday 8-2.

The Brewers scored four runs in the first inning before the Cardinals cut the deficit in half in the sixth.

Prince Fielder then belted a three-run homer in the seventh to put the game out of reach, and give Milwaukee a five-game winning streak.

Manny Parra won his third straight start, giving up two runs on five hits in six innings with four walks and three strikeouts.

Parra is now 3-4, and so is the Cardinals' Todd Wellemeyer, who took the loss after giving up four runs in five and two-thirds' innings.

Wellemeyer walked seven. J.J. Hardy and Skip Kendall hit a pair of two-run singles in the first, and Craig Counsell closed out the scoring in the eighth with a run-scoring double.

Kendall went 2-4, and he needs just one more hit to achieve 2,000 for his career.

Kendall is ranked eighth all-time in hits among catchers who've played at least 1,000 games.

Albert Pujols went 2 for 3 with a double and run scored for St. Louis, who went 1- 5 with runners in scoring position.

The Brewers and Cardinals will close out their series tonight, in a make-up from Friday night's rain-out.

Former Cardinal Braden Looper will start against Kyle Lohse.

Tags: st louis, sports, wisconsin, baseball, brewers