Michael McGreevy went a season-long 6 1/3 innings Wednesday to get his first win in two months for the St. Louis Cardinals, who snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Pitching on his 26th birthday, McGreevy (4-7) received support from Alec Burleson and Jose Fermin, both of whom homered. Burleson went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and added a double. Jordan Walker also doubled as part of a 2-for-4 evening, scoring twice.
The Cardinals pushed McGreevy’s scheduled start back as part of an effort to protect several pitchers heading into next week’s All-Star break. That move paid off as the right-hander pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season. He allowed just one run, which Milwaukee scored in the seventh, on five hits and a walk. McGreevey also struck out six, his highest total since getting that many against the Brewers on May 26.
However, it did not start easily for him. He opened the game by allowing Christian Yelich to single and walking Jake Bauers one out later. The Brewers loaded the bases, but McGreevy escaped by getting Luis Lara on a chopper to Blaze Jordan at third.
St. Louis gave McGreevy a lead in the bottom of the first. Doubles by Masyn Winn and Walker off Kyle Harrison (8-2) started the scoring, and Burleson’s two-out two-bagger made it 2-0.
McGreevy gave up a lead-off single to Cooper Pratt in the second, but he was caught stealing. After that, the Cardinals hurler retired the next 15 batters. He left after giving up a double to Garrett Mitchell and a single to Lara, with Pratt scoring Mitchell on a sacrifice fly off Luis Gastelum, who made his big-league debut after St. Louis promoted him earlier Wednesday.
Pratt went 2-for-3, and Mitchell finished 2-for-4 for the Brewers, whose four-game winning streak came to an end.
Fermin homered with one out in the third, and Burleson blasted a 443-foot two-run shot to left off Jared Koenig in the sixth.
Harrison lasted four innings, giving up three runs on four hits. He struck out a pair without issuing a walk.
