Prince Fielder’s massive home run and Shaun Marcum’s sharp-enough pitching Sunday helped the Milwaukee Brewers complete a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals and take control of the National League Central division in mid-June. Colby Rasmus had two hits for the Cardinals and nearly put them back in the game with a third, just missing out on a ninth-inning extra-base hit with the help of Carlos Gomez. The Cardinals find themselves swept for the second time this year, and each time by a division rival—the Cincinnati Reds managed the feat earlier this year.
Jake Westbrook, who failed to strike out a batter, continues to struggle; his ERA climbs to 5.16 with the loss. Jason Motte, Eduardo Sanchez, and Fernando Salas each pitched a scoreless inning to keep the Cardinals in the game.
The Cardinals have an off-day Monday and will face the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, when Jaime Garcia takes on Yunesky Maya at Nationals Park. Kyle McClellan is expected to return from the disabled list in time for Wednesday’s game.