ST. LOUIS _ Paul DeJong hit an opposite-field solo homer to lead off the home eighth and Yadier Molina followed with a double to drive in Jose Martinez as the Cardinals scored twice and then held on for a 4-3 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers before a crowd of 38.474 Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.
Travis Shaw hit a solo homer, his second of the game, to lead off the ninth for the Brewers.
The series wraps up with a 12:30 p.m. game on Wednesday.
The Brewers had pulled even at 2-2 when Shaw hit a solo homer against reliever John Gant with two outs in the sixth.
The Cardinals had taken the lead at 2-1 with two outs in the fifth. After Matt Carpenter walked and then stole his first base of the season, Paul Goldschmidt delivered a hit to left-center to put the home team back on top.
The Milwaukee Brewers pulled even at 1 when Orlando Arcia led off fifth inning with a solo shot to center field.
It was just the second hit of the game for the Brewers against Cardinals starter Daniel Ponce de Leon.
The Cardinals took the lead in the second, getting singles from Marcell Ozuna, Martinez and Molina to lead off the inning. Ozuna scored and Martinez raced to third as Molina was thrown out at second base by center fielder Lorenzo Cain.
Cain kept it 1-0 when he ran down a Kolten Wong drive into the gap in right center to end the inning.
The Cardinals threatened again with two outs in the fourth as Martinez singled and Molina followed with a double into the left-field corner. But Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun made a nice running catch on a Dexter Fowler fly ball near the left-field line.
The visiting Brewers nearly scored in the first inning when Braun blooped a two-out single to right center. After right fielder Martinez came up short on a diving attempt, center fielder Fowler picked up the ball and fired a strike to Molina at the plate to easily retire Christian Yelich, who had walked with one out.
In the Cardinals' first, Carpenter led off with a hit but Goldschmidt followed up by hitting into a double play.
The Cardinals outhit the Brewers 11-4 on Tuesday, getting three hits and two RBIs from Molina and two-hit games from DeJong (home run) and Martinez. Goldschmidt drove in the other St. Louis run.
Lefty Andrew Miller picked up the win after striking out two while pitching a 1-2-3 eighth for the Cardinals. Called up from Memphis, Ponce de Leon worked five strong innings, allowing two hits and while striking out seven.
Jordan Hicks allowed the ninth-inning homer to Shaw, but finished the game for the save.
Milwaukee also got a solo homer from Arcia. Reliever Alex Wilson took the loss.
