Brewers shut out by Cardinals in series opener

The Milwaukee Brewers' Junior Guerra pitches to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning Monday, May 30, 2016, in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE -- Matt Carpenter had four hits and scored three times, Carlos Martinez pitched eight innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 on Monday.

Martinez (5-5) allowed five singles, walked one and struck out eight, rebounding nicely after having allowed at least four runs in each of his three previous starts. Entering Monday, Martinez had a 1.34 ERA in 15 career games, including four starts, against Milwaukee.

Carpenter sparked the offense from the leadoff spot. He even scored from second in the seventh after catcher Jonathan Lucroy lost track of a wild pitch by Jhan Marinez that trickled to the backstop.

The Cardinals built a 3-0 lead after three innings, with the lineup's top four hitters accounting for 10 of the team's 12 hits on the day.

Third-place hitter Matt Holliday was 3 for 4 with three RBI. The slugger hit a 466-foot homer in the seventh off Marinez that landed in the top row of the bleachers in left.

St. Louis also took advantage of shaky defense to score three runs in the third off Junior Guerra (3-1), who allowed eight hits and three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

The Brewers had a throwing error and passed ball in the third. Another run scored when Alex Presley, who was wearing sunglasses, couldn't get to a towering fly by Matt Adams to the warning track in left on a sunny afternoon. The ball fell to the dirt for a RBI double.

Martinez had more than enough support against a team that he has dominated through his four-year career, including a 0.59 ERA in three starts in 2015.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Stephen Piscotty missed the game with a stomach bug. "He got some bad food last night, or something zapped him," manager Mike Matheny said. . . . SS Jhonny Peralta (left thumb) needed stitches after cutting a finger on his right hand with a knife during his rehab assignment Saturday night at Double-A Springfield. Peralta might miss another couple days.

Brewers: LF Ryan Braun (sore neck) missed a second straight game. The Brewers' best hitter also has been bothered by soreness in his lower back and right wrist this season. . . . LHP Will Smith (right knee) was scheduled to return to Milwaukee on Monday night from his rehab stint in the minors. He could be activated on Thursday when the team opens a four-game series in Philadelphia.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: The team is scoring 5.25 runs a game in the last four starts of RHP Mike Leake (3-4) after averaging 3.7 runs over his first six outings.

Brewers: RHP Wily Peralta (3-5) is 4-9 with a 5.00 ERA in 14 career starts against St. Louis.