ST. LOUIS (AP) - Lance Lynn missed a chance to join teammate Adam Wainwright as the only five-game winners in the majors.
The St. Louis Cardinals pitcher wasn’t even close.
“Not as good as I should have been, plain and simple,” Lynn said after lasting just five innings and coughing up an early cushion in St. Louis’ 5-4, 11-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. “You get three runs in the first, you need to win that game.”
Lynn won his first 12 career decisions in April but finished this month with a loss and a no-decision that left a bad taste. In particular, he was smarting from a two-run single by opposing pitcher Kyle Lohse that capped the Brewers’ three-run fourth.
Lynn could only get his glove on Scooter Gennett’s leadoff infield hit in the fourth. He walked two and had two wild pitches in the inning.
“If you can’t put the pitcher away with two outs and the bases loaded with a two-run lead, you deserve not to win the game,” Lynn said.
Lyle Overbay singled in Khris Davis with the tiebreaking run to give the Brewers their second straight extra-inning win over the Cardinals. St. Louis hitters struck out 17 times and went 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position.
“We couldn’t make anything happen,” manager Mike Matheny said. “In these close games it’s the little things that are going to either help us or kill us.
“We’ve been having trouble getting guys over, getting them in - something that we’ve had a lot of confidence in getting done.”
Davis hit a go-ahead triple to help the Brewers win 5-3 in 12 innings Monday night and started the winning rally this time with a leadoff double against Kevin Siegrist (0-1). Milwaukee is a major league-best 20-7, two more victories than the previous franchise best for the opening month, and 11-1 on the road.
The Brewers, missing four starters, managed just enough offense to beat the Cardinals again.
Carlos Gomez homered for the Brewers, who have won five of six. Tyler Thornburg (3-0) struck out four in two scoreless innings and Francisco Rodriguez finished for his 13th save in 13 chances.
Yadier Molina hit a three-run homer in the first and Allen Craig’s RBI triple tied it in the seventh for the Cardinals, who have lost three of four.
The Brewers are 4-1 in extra innings and the Cardinals are 0-3.
Milwaukee’s lineup featured the light-swinging Gennett batting third. Ryan Braun and Jean Segura didn’t start for the third straight game, Aramis Ramirez had a swollen elbow from getting hit by a pitch, and catcher Jonathan Lucroy got a scheduled day off that manager Ron Roenicke elected not to reschedule.
Molina had been 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position and two outs before depositing a belt-high, 1-1 fastball into the first row of seats in left-center.
It was the first homer off Lohse since he gave up two in his first start of the season, and Molina’s fourth overall. Lohse followed with five scoreless innings and matched his season best with nine strikeouts, plus a two-run single to cap a three-run fourth against Lynn to tie it.
Gomez homered in the seventh against Tyler Lyons, in his second inning of relief. Lyons had been listed as the starter Friday at Chicago against the Cubs, but the Cardinals have a day off Thursday and could use Wainwright on regular rest.
NOTES: RHP Shelby Miller is 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA in six career starts against Milwaukee entering the series finale. Brewers RHP Matt Garza is 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in three career starts in St. Louis. … Two rehabbing Cardinals pitchers, Jaime Garcia and Jason Motte, are getting closer to returning. Garcia (shoulder surgery) is scheduled to make his first start Sunday for Double-A Springfield and the team said Motte (elbow) is likely to join that team this weekend. … Segura pinch-hit in the ninth and was thrown out trying for a bunt hit. … The Brewers are 36-36 at 9-year-old Busch Stadium, one of only three NL teams that are .500 or better.
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