Cards must continue to fight for playoff spot, get shutout by Brewers 3-0

ST. LOUIS — Brandon Woodruff allowed two hits in eight innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Saturday night.

Ryan Braun and Daniel Vogelbach hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth, the third time the Brewers have hit consecutive homers this season.

Woodruff (3-5) retired 19 straight after pitching around leadoff hits in the first and second innings as Milwaukee (29-30) moved within a game of St. Louis (29-28). Both teams are among four NL clubs vying for two open postseason spots. NL Central rival Cincinnati (30-28 entering Saturday) clinched a playoff berth on Friday.

Woodruff struck out 10 and walked one as he beat the Cardinals for the second time this season. He threw a season-high 108 pitches, 73 for strikes.

Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 15 tries.

Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (5-3) retired the first seven batters he faced before wriggling out of a two-on, one-out jam in the third.

Wainwright wasn’t so fortunate in the fourth as Braun drove his second pitch of the inning into the Cardinals’ bullpen. Three pitches later, Vogelbach smashed an 89 mph delivery 420 feet into the left-center bleachers to make it 2-0.

Omar Narváez singled home Orlando Arcia to extend Milwaukee’s lead in the seventh. Arcia had four hits, including a pair of doubles.

TRAINING ROOM

Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta returned from the paternity list, RHP J.P. Feyereisen returned to the team’s alternate training site and LHP Eric Lauer was optioned to the alternate site.

Cardinals: Placed RHP John Gant on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain on Friday and activated RHP Nabil Crismatt from the taxi squad.

UP NEXT

Brewers: LHP Brett Anderson (4-3, 4.00 ERA) will start the regular season finale. He is 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis.

Cardinals: LHP Austin Gomber (1-1, 1.80 ERA) gets his second straight start after appearing in relief in his first 12 games this season. He threw six shutout innings in a 5-0 win against Kansas City on Tuesday.