Jon Jay slides home safely on Yadier Molina’s single in the first. (photo/MLB)
On a night when the cards were stacked against the Cards (at least on paper), somehow they were able to hold off the Milwaukee Brewers for a 3-2 win to increase their lead in the NL Central to four games.
Milwaukee was starting 15-game winner Wily Peralta and Michael Wacha was making his first start since June 17.  Mike Matheny had Marco Gonzalez ready at a moment’s notice.  Wacha was limited to three innings and Gonzales went 2 1/3 innings for the win.
In all Matheny used seven pitchers to hold the Brewers to nine hits while getting out of several jams.  The Brewers stranded tying runs in scoring position from the sixth through the ninth.  The bullpen combined for six innings of one-run ball.
Trevor Rosenthal walked two, putting runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth. Rosenthal got pinch-hitter Jason Rogers to fly out to the edge of the warning track in right for his 42nd save.
Yadier Molina had a two-run single in the first and Kolten Wong singled in a run in the third off Peralta who has lost three straight. Â He fell to 15-10 and gave up seven hits and two walks while striking out seven.
