MILWAUKEE _ In the first two weeks of the season, the floundering Cardinals endured three losing streaks of three games apiece. But in the third week, they suddenly have reeled off two winning streaks of three games.
The latest came Sunday at Miller Park when they posted their sixth victory in the last seven games by beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-4.
Starter Mike Leake, who had passed just one hitter in his first three starts, hurt himself with three leadoff walks, two of them accounting for runs. But he helped himself more by singling with the bases loaded, driving in two runs in a three-run fourth inning that put the Cardinals ahead to stay.
Leake (3-1) allowed just three hits in six innings before the bullpen, in the forms of Matt Bowman, Trevor Rosenthal, Jonathan Broxton and Seung Hwan Oh finished, with Broxton surrendering a home run to Manny Pina and being tagged for an unearned run in the ninth.
Oh claimed his fifth save in the six-win stretch and third in three days but not before allowing a walk and a hit in the ninth and having the tying runs on base when the game ended.
Oh struck out Eric Thames for he second out and got Ryan Braun on a deep fly to right for the final out.
It was not the club's cleanest game defensively. There were two errors charged and several other misplays. And three baserunners were picked off. But the Cardinals are 9-10 now, after being 3-9 a week ago.
