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Garcia dazzles as Cardinals whip Brewers 5-1

Sports

September 27th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaime Garcia worked eight dominant innings after getting a big early cushion, and the St. Louis Cardinals maintained their three-game lead in the NL Central with a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night. The Cardinals shaved their magic number to five for clinching the division after second-place Pittsburgh beat the Cubs 4-0 earlier in the day.

Matt Holliday had a pair of RBI doubles, and Kolten Wong’s two-run single capped a four-run first against rookie Tyler Wagner (0-1). Matt Carpenter was removed after five innings with left hip tightness for precautionary reasons, the latest setback for the team. Earlier in the day, 14-game winner Carlos Martinez was shut down for the rest of the season with a strained right shoulder.

Garcia (10-5) allowed a run on seven hits, retiring 10 in a row at one point. The lefty struck out eight with no walks and reached double figures in victories for the first time since 2011.