Cards hold lead this time

AFTER FAILING to hold three-run leads in two straight games, Allen Craig and the St. Louis Cardinals put their series final against Milwaukee out of reach.

Craig homered on a four-hit day that included three RBI, and Matt Adams hit a three-run homer as the Cardinals beat the visiting Brewers, 9-3, yesterday afternoon.

"It's nice to see some big production that we know is going to come from certain guys," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, who slept on his office couch after an 11-inning loss Tuesday night.

Jon Jay had three hits and a walk his first four trips to the plate. The Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep against the team with the best record in the major leagues.

"I've been feeling pretty good at the plate for a little while now, hitting some balls hard," Craig said. "Frustration's part of it. Things are going to turn around."

Shelby Miller (3-2) worked around homers to Mark Reynolds and Carlos Gomez, allowing three runs and six hits in six-plus innings.

"Kind of little rough early on," Miller said. "It's always nice to have a lot of runs scored for you, but at the same time, you've got to act like it's a close game no matter what."

Milwaukee is 20-8, a franchise record for wins through the season's first full first month.

Matt Garza (1-3) joined the lengthy list of injured Brewers when he was removed in the fourth inning because of a bruised right thumb from getting jammed on an at-bat to end the third. He said there was no doubt he'd be ready for his next start.

"I'm going to make sure I'm OK by then," Garza said. "I'm not here to skip a start, I'm prepared to pitch. I want to get right back out there."

Ryan Braun (oblique) and Jean Segura (cut on head) didn't start during the series, and Aramis Ramirez (elbow) was out the last two games for Milwaukee, which batted light-swinging Scooter Gennett third. Segura and Ramirez are expected to return Thursday for the start of a four-game series at Cincinnati, though Braun remains day to day.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Braun will not start Thursday and added, "In a couple days, he needs to be ready to go."

Segura played the eighth at shortstop and doubled in the ninth.

* At Miami, Nate Eovaldi (2-1) held Atlanta to three hits and one run in seven innings and Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna homered as the Marlins beat the Braves, 9-3. Atlanta starter Aaron Harang, who entered the game as the NL ERA leader was charged with all nine runs in 4 2/3 innings. His ERA went from 0.85 to 2.97.

* At Cincinnati, Nate Schierholtz drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 9-4 victory over the Reds.

* At Los Angeles, C.J. Wilson (4-2) held Cleveland to two hits in eight innings and Hank Conger hit a two-run homer as the Angels beat the Indians, 7-1.

* At Chicago, Max Scherzer (3-1) threw six scoreless innings and the Detroit Tigers beat the White Sox, 5-1, to finish a two-game sweep. With seven strikeouts, Scherzer became the first pitcher in team history with at least seven strikeouts in each of his first six starts.

* At Baltimore, the Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates were rained out for the second straight day. A single-admission doubleheader was scheduled for today starting at 4:05 p.m. It had been an off day for both teams. Third baseman Manny Machado (knee surgery) will come off the disabled list when the Orioles next play.

* At New York, the Yankees-Seattle Mariners game was rained out. It was rescheduled for June 2.

* At Boston, the Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game was rained out and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader today.

* At Baltimore, the Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates were rained out for the second straight day. A single-admission doubleheader was scheduled for today starting at 4:05 p.m. It had been an off day for both teams. Third baseman Manny Machado (knee surgery) will come off the disabled list when the Orioles next play.

* Yankees righthander Michael Pineda will miss at least 3 weeks with a strained muscle between the lat and the shoulder on his pitching arm. He is halfway through a 10-game suspension for using pine tar while pitching.

* Former pitcher Javier Vazquez was hired as international special assistant to players union head Tony Clark. Vazquez, 37, who played from 1998-2011, is a former player representative and member of the union's bargaining team. He lives in his native Ponce, Puerto Rico.

* Cleveland dropped righthander Carlos Carrasco from its starting rotation and put him in the bullpen. Carrasco, 0-3 with a 6.95 ERA, is the Indians' last remaining remnant of the 2009 trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Phillies.

* Oakland righthander A.J. Griffin underwent Tommy John surgery.

* Detroit announced that lefthander Robbie Ray will make his major league debut Tuesday against Houston. Ray, 22, was acquired from Washington in the Doug Fister trade this past offseason. Ray will start in place of Anibal Sanchez, who is on the disabled list with a laceration on his right middle finger. In five starts for Triple A Toledo, Ray is 3-2 with a 1.59 ERA.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers brought up catcher Miguel Olivo from Triple A Albuquerque to replace Tim Federowicz, who was sent down. Olivo was batting .390 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games at Albuquerque. Federowicz hit .109 in 13 games since being recalled on April 8. Regular catcher A.J. Ellis has been on the disabled list with a knee injury since early April.