ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals manager Mike Matheny wanted to see a quick outburst from his offense to break out of a troubling slump against last-place Milwaukee.
The bats delivered early with all the efficiency of an assembly line to carry St. Louis to a series-clinching 7-4 win and cap off another impressive homestand. It was a welcome relief for a team that had scored just once in the last two games and hadn't scored more than four in any of its last six games.
Second baseman Kolten Wong led off with a double into the gap in left-center, but the Cardinals wouldn't even need the benefit of an extra-base hit the rest of the way. After third baseman Matt Carpenter singled and left fielder Matt Holliday walked to load the bases, shortstop Jhonny Peralta and first baseman Mark Reynolds laced RBI singles into left field to go around a hard-hit ball by center fielder Randal Grichuk that got past third baseman Hector Gomez for an error.
"You look at the first eight batters we had through the lineup, every one of them either got their hit or did something situationally to get a run in," Matheny said. "That's a great way to start your day and gave John (Lackey) some room to work."
Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson finally recorded his first out when center fielder Carlos Gomez ran down catcher Yadier Molina's sacrifice fly to deep center field. Heyward followed suit with a line drive right at Gomez for a sacrifice fly to give the Cardinals five runs in the first inning for the first time this season.
Lackey said it gave him the breathing room he needed to attack the strike zone against a Brewers lineup batting an MLB-worst .230 this season. They made some solid contact, including Gerardo Parra's solo home run in the third, but it wasn't nearly enough against a team with a 2.65 ERA, the only one in baseball under 3.00.
"You never want to think to yourself in the first inning, 'Well, this game's over,'" Carpenter said. "But with this pitching staff, it's hard not to feel that way when you score five runs in the first.
"I wouldn't say that we let up because we didn't. We ended up scoring seven. But at the same time, you kind of feel like, 'OK, we should win this game.'"
Milwaukee pitchers retired the side in order four of the next five innings, although the assembly line started running again in the fourth. After the first three hitters loaded the bases, Carpenter singled to right to score Molina and Heyward, making it seven different Cardinals to score.
Early runs have become something of a habit for St. Louis, which had scored in the first inning of seven straight games prior to Monday's 1-0 loss to Milwaukee. The Cardinals have either scored at least once before the third inning or not scored at all in their last 15 games.
Much of that success can be attributed to Wong, the team's new leadoff man. He's reached base safely in the first inning in eight of his last nine games and came around to score every time except Monday.
"He's been amazing," Reynolds said. "He's hitting doubles and homers and getting in scoring position right off the bat."
Carpenter and Holliday have been one of baseball's more formidable duos in the 2-3 spot, even though they've cooled off some since April. Throw in surging cleanup man Peralta and red-hot rookie Grichuk, and it's easy to see why opposing pitchers have had so much trouble right out of the gate.
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