MILWAUKEE _ Randal Grichuk had spent a couple of weeks in the minors. Matt Adams had gone nearly two weeks without a hit. And Mike Leake hadn't won in four weeks.
All those travails were minimized Sunday as they and the rest of the Cardinals closed the acknowledged first half of the season on a high note with a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Grichuk and Adams both hit their 10th home runs, giving the Cardinals seven swatsmiths at that figure. Adams' 455-footer in the first, followed a run-scoring double in the ninth, effectively ended a nothing-for-27 slide. Grichuk, hitting safely for his sixth straight game since returning from his brief exile in Memphis, also knocked in a run in the ninth.
Leake, 6-7, had had four winless starts but struck out a season-high 10, walked none and allowed just one run in seven innings. He had fanned 11 a year ago to the day while pitching for Cincinnati against Miami.
Jonathan Broxton struck out two more in the eighth for the Cardinals as the Cardinals totaled 12 for the day atop a 15-strikeout performance Saturday. They have won nine of 12 against the Brewers this season.
The Cardinals, who are 46-42, actually have played 88 games with just 74 remaining. They entered the All-Star break seven games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division. They haven't been closer since May 23.
