MILWAUKEE (AP) — Caleb Durbin hit a tying double in the 10th inning, Andruw Monasterio followed with the winning single and the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers rallied from five runs down to defeat the skidding St. Louis Cardinals 9-8 on Saturday night.
Milwaukee players took the field aware they were already ensured at least a National League wild card, after the New York Mets lost to Texas a little earlier. But the NL Central leaders hardly let up.
After trailing 6-1 in the sixth, they scratched across five runs in the eighth and ninth to tie it 7-all on RBI infield singles by Jackson Chourio and William Contreras, who drove in three runs.
Abner Uribe (3-2) loaded the bases with none out in the 10th but held St. Louis to one run, which scored when Iván Herrera grounded into a double play.
Durbin delivered an RBI double off Kyle Leahy (4-2) with one out in the bottom half and scored on Monasterio’s single to center field, handing the Cardinals their fifth consecutive loss.
Milwaukee improved the majors’ best record to 91-58, two games ahead of NL East-leading Philadelphia, and increased its NL Central cushion to 6 1/2 games over the Chicago Cubs, who lost 5-4 to Tampa Bay.
Brewers rookie starter Jacob Misiorowski allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings, including solo homers by Herrera and Brendan Donovan.
Cardinals starter Sonny Gray gave up two runs in five innings and struck out eight.
Key moment
Riley O’Brien entered in the bottom of the ninth looking for his fourth save of the season but was lifted after allowing the first four batters to reach base.
Key stat
Milwaukee went 6 for 16 with runners in scoring position.
Up next
Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (7-10, 4.84 ERA) faces LHP Jose Quintana (11-6, 3.88) in the series finale Sunday.