MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers just might have to start giving fans in the outfield seats batting helmets.
Jett Bandy, Eric Thames and Travis Shaw each hit home runs to help the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 on Thursday night.
Bandy hit a two-run homer to left in the sixth and Thames put Milwaukee ahead with a two-run shot to center off Carlos Martinez (0-3) in the fifth. Shaw’s three-run blast in the first made it 12 consecutive games that the Brewers have homered. They lead the majors with 32 home runs.
Shaw’s fifth home run of the season traveled 458 feet and smacked off the facing of the third deck in right.
“The first day Travis was here, he took BP and saw some balls go to places I hadn’t seen in a while,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
Thames jumped all over a mistake from Martinez.
“Carlos Martinez is nasty,” Thames said. “He’s got a good fastball, good changeup, really good slider. I was trying to get something to hit and I put a barrel on it.”
Martinez gave up a career-high five runs to the Brewers on seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
“We’ve watched him pretty closely,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Thames. “He’s obviously hot and on a pretty impressive run. The home run looked to me like it had more of the plate than we wanted and up more a little bit more than what maybe we’d like.”
After he got out of the first, Martinez retired the side in order the next three innings before Thames’ home run.
“He did find a nice groove after that (first inning),” Matheny said. “Unfortunately, by then, we already had some trouble to deal with.”
Zach Davies (1-2) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out five, but needed Thames’ NL-leading eighth home run and seventh in the last eight games for his first win in four starts.
Jacob Barnes pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.
Matt Carpenter hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth and Kolten Wong, whose career-high seven triples led the Cardinals in 2016, hit his first of the season in the top of the second with the bases loaded.
Jedd Gyorko hit a solo home run leading off the Cardinals’ eighth.
HOME RUN BATS
The Brewers have hit two or more home runs in a franchise-best six consecutive games and the 11th time overall.
CARPENTER HEATS UP MILLER PARK
Carpenter’s home run was his sixth at Miller Park and his highest total at any ballpark other than Busch Stadium.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: Infielder Jhonny Peralta was put on the 10-day disabled list because of an upper respiratory condition. He sat out the four previous games, and the move was retroactive to Sunday. He is hitting .120 (3 for 25) with no RBIs in eight games.
“Ever since we left camp, he’s been dealing with some upper respiratory issues that I think they (medical staff) were trying to identify,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “They were having him use different medications. Unfortunately, it just didn’t sit well with him.”
Brewers: With right-hander Matt Garza (right groin strain) appearing ready to return from his rehab assignments, manager Craig Counsell must decide how Garza fits into the pitching staff.
