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MILWAUKEE -- After coming off a 15-inning loss at Colorado the night before, another extra-inning affair wasnt what a weary St. Louis Cardinals team needed. Fighting to maintain control of the lead in the NL Central, the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night on Carlos Beltrans sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, preserving their roost atop the division. "Getting taken into extra innings isnt what we were looking for, but what a win," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "That would be a pretty tough one to eat when you have the two-run lead. It was just a great, great win." The Cardinals hold a two-game lead over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. The Reds downed the Pirates 6-5 in 10 innings to move into a tie for second place. "That says a lot about this club the way we responded. It was a huge win and we needed that one," said Matt Carpenter, who had three hits and a walk in six plate appearances. "Every game is crucial." Matt Adams, who has been plagued by right elbow soreness and was fitted for a brace before the game, smacked a towering two-run, ninth-inning home run to give the Cardinals a 6-4 lead, but the Brewers rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the game. Adams blast to right-centre field came off Brewers closer Jim Henderson, who walked Matt Holliday to start the inning. Former Brewers closer John Axford (7-7), acquired by St. Louis last month, picked up the win. Carlos Martinez got his first save of the year for the Cardinals. "Coming back here to Miller Park, I was definitely nervous in the pen, but when I was out there on the mound I was calm," Axford said. "We needed that win." Michael Blazek (0-1), whom the Brewers received in the deal for Axford, took the loss. Beltrans fly ball to deep right field off Blazek scored Kolten Wong, who led off the 10th with a walk. Matheny was impressed with Axfords composure. "He was sharp, looked good and (got) a real big double play ball for us. It was pretty impressive how he could maintain and do that under that kind of pressure." Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Brewers got a leadoff double from Jeff Bianchi and he later scored on a single by pinch-hitter Logan Schafer. The Brewers added another run on Aramis Ramirezs slow roller off Axford. Carlos Gomez grounded into an inning-ending double play to send the game to extra innings. "I was just trying to get a groundball and get us back in the dugout," Axford said. "I would have preferred to have gotten the save as opposed to the win, but it worked out." Axford came on in relief of closer Edward Mujica, whom the Brewers tagged for three hits and two runs in one-third of an inning. "We are trying to get our closer right. We are one groundball away from turning a double play," Matheny said. "We turn a double play, he gets a save, we get a win and he is feeling pretty good about himself. It didnt happen tonight. We hurt for him." The Cardinals jumped on Brewers starter Johnny Hellweg for a run in the first inning on Matt Hollidays single. Ramirez hit a three-run home run with one out in the Brewers half of the first off Shelby Miller, who entered the game having given up just three earned runs over 25 innings in four previous starts against the Brewers this season. "It was a hanging breaking ball that didnt finish," Miller said. "Obviously a bad way to start off the first inning. Other than that, we settled in and battled as much as we could. At the end of the day it was a huge win for us." Miller surrendered seven hits and four runs in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Hellweg gave up seven hits and two runs over in an erratic five-inning stint. He walked five, struck out one, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. "He looked pretty good today," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He faced a really good lineup. He also got ground balls when he needed them and got double plays. Thats what he does." NOTES: The Cardinals ran their record to 7-1 at Miller Park this season and 13-4 overall against the Brewers. ... Shelby Miller became the first St. Louis rookie pitcher to start 30 games in a season since Rick Ankiel in 2000. ... With four strikeouts, Miller passed Harvey Haddix for third place on St. Louis rookie strikeout list with 166. ... St. Louis wraps up its final regular-season road trip with the three-game series in Milwaukee. WINNIPEG -- Buck Pierce says hes being given another chance to play the game he loves with the B.C. Lions, but it still hurts to leave the Blue Bombers and his adopted home of Winnipeg. Pierce, who spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Bombers, was traded to the Lions on Sunday for Canadian receiver Akeem Foster. "I was sad at first, because I know what this place and this community means to me, and all the friendships on and off the field, outside these walls as well," Pierce said Monday in a gracious farewell. "Thats the first emotion." Despite the trade, Pierce said he wont really be leaving Winnipeg, where his fiancee lives and where he has business interests. "Its a place that I want to be. I will be here in the off-season," he said. "I will call it home and hopefully, some day in the future, I can be back in some aspect of the (Bombers) organization." His time in Winnipeg, like his previous tenure with the Lions in Vancouver, was marred by injury. Pierces best season was 2011, when he led the Bombers to the Grey Cup game, where Winnipeg dropped a 34-23 decision to the Lions. The next season was a major disappointment as he spent most of it on the injury list. After wrestling with the issue in the off-season, the Bombers opened 2013 with Pierce as their starter. But after managing only one win, he was hurt and replaced in the second half of the fourth game by Justin Goltz. Goltz and Max Hall have started since, with Pierce seeing action only as a backup. Hall really only played one game, injuring his hand on his first series in the second he started. Goltz too has struggled. He does get credit for Winnipegs second win of the season and first in their new stadium Sunday, although it owed more perhaps to a blitzing Bombers defence that sacked Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant eight times.dddddddddddd The Bombers still have four quarterbacks: Goltz, Hall, Jason Boltus and newcomer Levi Brown, who is on the practice roster. Despite his feelings about Winnipeg, Pierce said he is glad to get another chance to be useful on a football field. "Im given an opportunity to go and still use my talents to help a team achieve their goal and I think as an athlete thats what you want and thats what being a pro is all about," he said. Pierce, who turns 32 in November, played with the Lions from 2005 to 2009 and says he knows their offence well, since many of the same coaches are still in place. "My role, as I see it right now, is to come and help, help Travis (Lulay), help the offence and add some depth," he said. Acting general manager Kyle Walters thanked Pierce for what he did for the team but said theyve decided to move on and go with their younger quarterbacks. He also said the deal gives them a talented young Canadian receiver in Akeem Foster. "Its sound philosophy in the CFL when you get a chance to add to your Canadian talent base, particularly at your starting positions, you do it to promote depth and competition," Walters said. Theoretically, the Bombers should be OK at that spot but have had trouble keeping the four they had in training camp healthy. As for quarterback, Walters said for the remainder of the season they may stick with the four they have, but that may change in the off-season with the Ottawa expansion draft looming. "It would be foolish in an organization not to explore all options in December into how to upgrade all the positions, especially the most important position on the field, which is the quarterback position," he said. "So if we think we can upgrade that spot, then we will." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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