Gasser pitches 6 shutout innings in his debut as Brewers roll past slumping Cardinals 11-2

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Robert Gasser allowed just two hits over six shutout innings in his major league debut and the Milwaukee Brewers trounced St. Louis 11-2 on Friday night to hand the Cardinals their sixth consecutive loss.

Willy Adames hit three doubles with two runs and a pair of RBIs as the Brewers beat the Cardinals for a seventh straight time, continuing a streak that began last year. William Contreras scored three times, Christian Yelich had two runs and Rhys Hoskins and Jake Bauers each delivered two RBIs.

Gasser walked none, hit one batter and became just the fifth Brewer ever to throw at least six shutout innings in his debut. The others were Jim Slaton in 1974, Steve Woodard in 1997, Chris Sáenz in 2004 and Brandon Woodruff in 2017.

Milwaukee acquired Gasser, along with outfielder Eury Pérez and pitcher Dinelson Lamet in the 2022 trade that sent star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres.

The 24-year-old left-hander continued the Cardinals’ scoring woes. St. Louis has scored 129 runs through its first 38 games. The Chicago White Sox are the only MLB team with fewer runs this season.

Nolan Gorman homered for the Cardinals, who totaled just five hits.

Milwaukee has outscored St. Louis 18-3 through the first two matchups of the four-game series. The last-place Cardinals fell eight games behind the NL Central-leading Brewers.

The game started out as a pitchers’ duel between Gasser and St. Louis’ Lance Lynn before the Brewers broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fourth.

Contreras led off with a double and Yelich singled him to third before both scored on Hoskins’ one-out single. Hoskins was credited with only one RBI on the play, since Yelich scored from second after Lars Nootbaar mishandled the ball in left field.

The Brewers broke the game open by scoring five runs in the fifth and four in the seventh. All the fifth-inning runs came with two outs.

After drawing a one-out walk and stealing second in the fifth, Jake Bauers scored on Brice Turang’s two-out double to left. Turang stole third and Contreras walked before Lynn departed with runners on the corners.

Yelich greeted reliever Matthew Liberatore by laying down a bunt that rolled all the way down the third-base line and hit the bag without going foul. Turang scored and Contreras advanced to second. Adames followed with a two-run double and took third on a throw home. Hoskins’ infield hit brought home Adames.

Frelick hit a two-run single and Bauers tripled home two runs in the seventh.

TRAINERS' ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Keynan Middleton (forearm flexor strain) had a bullpen session Friday and will have a rehabilitation appearance Tuesday. LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain) played catch off the mound Friday and will have a bullpen session Monday.

Brewers: Manager Pat Murphy said RHP Devin Williams is less than two weeks away from playing catch. The two-time NL reliever of the year is expected to miss the first half of the season as he recovers from fractures in his back. LHP DL Hall (knee) will throw live batting practice Tuesday.

UP NEXT

RHP Kyle Gibson (2-2, 3.68 ERA) starts for the Cardinals and RHP Freddy Peralta (3-1, 3.49) pitches for the Brewers when this four-game series continues Saturday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Steve Megargee, The Associated Press