ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke likes his lineup.
He just wishes it would be a little more productive.
The St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Brewers 4-0 Thursday behind seven scoreless innings by John Lackey.
"I know the good pitching is going to stop good hitting," Roenicke said. "It's still way too early for any changes. We just together need to string a bunch of stuff together so we can score. It's hard to get a rally going with two outs and score a lot of runs."
That was the case in the fourth and fifth innings when Milwaukee put two base runners on in each inning but failed to score.
"We had some runners on, had some chances to score and didn't get them in," said Jonathan Lucroy, whose average fell to .133. "Our batting average with runners in scoring position is very bad right now. It's terrible. So we've got to be better at that.
"We've got to do something to figure it out. I'm including myself in that because I've been pretty awful."
Lackey (1-0) gave up five hits, struck out eight and walked one.
"John was great," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "His stuff just keeps getting better to me."
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead on two doubles and two singles in the sixth inning.
Matt Carpenter doubled to right to begin the sixth inning off Brewers starter Mike Fiers (0-2). With one out, Matt Holliday hit a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a run-scoring single.
"I was trying to bust Holliday and try to keep him honest and go back away and one pitch -- that 3-2 pitch -- he was able to find a hole and got an RBI," Fiers said.
Holiday stole second and went to third on Jhonny Peralta's single. Mark Reynolds hit an RBI double to center, but Peralta was thrown out trying to score.
Neal Cotts relieved and retired pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk.
Fiers allowed seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
St. Louis added a run in the seventh with two outs. Carpenter doubled home Kolten Wong, who had doubled with one out.
The Cardinals made it 4-0 in the eighth when Yadier Molina hit an RBI single to score Grichuk, who doubled with two outs. Molina has five hits in his past two games with two RBI. He is hitting .421 in his past five games.
"When you play every day, you're going to get that timing back," said Molina, who raised his average to .278. "Right now, I'm in that process."
On a roll: Second baseman Scooter Gennett singled and has hit safely in all 13 of his games he has started at Busch Stadium.
Trainer's room: Centerfielder Carlos Gomez was not in the starting lineup. Gomez strained his hamstring while beating out a play at first base in the ninth inning Wednesday. Gomez was 0 for 5 in the loss, but was hitting .320 with a home run and six RBI before that.
Up next: RHP Jimmy Nelson (1-0, 0.00) will make his second start of the season. In his first start, Nelson had a career-high nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against Pittsburgh.
