The St. Louis Cardinals entered this week’s rare five-game series against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium hoping to make up ground on their rivals. Instead, the visitors have dominated early, taking the first three contests and exposing late-inning fragility and inconsistent pitching depth for the Redbirds.
Game 1 – Monday, July 6: Brewers 4, Cardinals 3
Dustin May delivered a solid effort on short rest, striking out seven while allowing four hits over 4 2/3 innings. St. Louis built a 3-0 cushion, highlighted by Nelson Velázquez’s leadoff double in the sixth that set up Masyn Winn’s RBI single.
Milwaukee responded with a decisive four-run seventh. Garrett Mitchell singled, Sal Frelick doubled, and a fielding error by Ryan Fernandez loaded the bases. David Hamilton ripped a two-run double, and Brice Turang delivered the go-ahead two-run single off Ryne Stanek. Shane Drohan earned the win with six strong innings (one earned run allowed), and Trevor Megill secured his 14th save. The Cardinals finished with seven hits but were hurt by two errors.
Game 2 – Tuesday, July 7 (Doubleheader Game 1): Brewers 4, Cardinals 3
Jacob Misiorowski was dominant for the Brewers, striking out 11 over seven innings and throwing a heavy dose of triple-digit heat (57 pitches of 100 mph or harder). He yielded just three hits — solo home runs by Jordan Walker (his 21st, with a 105.6 mph exit velocity) in the first and Iván Herrera in the third — with no walks issued.
Milwaukee erased an early deficit with a two-run third (Joey Ortiz double and Christian Yelich RBI single), tied the game in the sixth on Garrett Mitchell’s RBI single, and took the lead for good in the seventh on Yelich’s RBI double off JoJo Romero. Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe closed it out, with Uribe earning the save. St. Louis was limited to five hits.
Game 3 – Tuesday, July 7 (Doubleheader Game 2): Brewers 10, Cardinals 2
The Brewers completed the doubleheader sweep in convincing fashion, exploding for a 10-2 victory. This marked the first doubleheader sweep of the Cardinals in franchise history for Milwaukee and effectively wrapped up the series. Rookie Luis Lara made his MLB debut in center field (batting second) and picked up his first career hit — a two-run single in the fifth. Joey Ortiz continued his hot streak across the twin bill, going 5-for-9 overall with multiple home runs in the nightcap.
Through three games, the Brewers’ combination of power pitching (Misiorowski’s gem), relentless bullpen usage, and clutch hitting from veterans like Yelich and Turang has overwhelmed the Cardinals. St. Louis has shown occasional offensive flashes — particularly Walker’s power — but pitching inconsistencies and failure to hold leads have been costly.
With two games left in the set, the Redbirds must find answers quickly on the mound and at the plate to salvage any momentum before the All-Star break. The Brewers, playing with confidence, remain firmly in control of the division race.
