Brewers shut out slumping Cards, sweep 3-game set

Colin Rea and three relievers combined on a six-hitter as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers blanked the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Owen Miller drove in the two runs for the Brewers, who won their fourth straight game.

Rea allowed five hits and three walks while striking out three. Bryan Hudson (1-0) worked 2 1/3 innings, Elvis Peguero got two outs and Joel Payamps closed out the ninth for this third save.

Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (2-1) struck out 12 in 6 1/3 innings, but he allowed two runs on five hits and a walk.

The Cardinals, who lost their fourth straight game, failed to convert a golden scoring opportunity in the first. Brendan Donovan led off with a bunt single and Willson Contreras extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single.

After the runners advanced on long flyout by Lars Nootbaar -- Blake Perkins robbed him with a leaping catch at the center field wall -- Rea walked Nolan Arenado to load the bases.

Then Paul Goldschmidt flied out to shallow right field and Alec Burleson grounded out to strand the runners.

The Cards' Masyn Winn led off the second with a double and took third on a groundout. Michael Siani walked and stole second base. But Rea struck out Donovan and coaxed an inning-ending groundout from Contreras to leave two more runners in scoring position.

St. Louis failed to convert another scoring opportunity in the fifth. Siani hit a leadoff single and reached second on a two-out bunt single by Nootbaar, but Arenado popped out. The Cards went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 basrunners.

Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead in the seventh. Perkins hit a one-out single and went to third on Brice Turang's single. Turang stole second base, then Miller hit a two-run single.

In the eighth, Arenado drew a one-out walk, moved to second on Goldschmidt's single and advanced to third on Burleson's flyout. He was stuck there when Winn flied out to end the inning.