Brewers pull even with win over Cardinals in Game 4 of NLCS

ST. LOUIS -- Power pitching often dominates in the postseason. Soft tosses by Randy Wolf got the Milwaukee Brewers back to even in the NL championship series.

The 35-year-old lefty outfoxed the St. Louis Cardinals for seven innings to earn his first postseason win, and the Brewers got two more hits from Ryan Braun in a 4-2 victory Thursday night that evened the NL championship series at 2-2.

"It was a big feeling just to be back out there again after my last start," said Wolf, who was hit hard by Arizona to force a deciding Game 5 in the first round of the playoffs. "Just to be able to get another opportunity to pitch again was important.

"You know, I'll be honest with you, the day after the Diamondbacks start, I didn't eat or shower that day."

Wolf, who some pitches that topped out in the mid-60s, allowed two runs and six hits, while striking out six with one walk.

Milwaukee Brewers' Jerry Hairston Jr. slides safely past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina during the fourth inning of Game 4 of baseball's National League championship series Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, in St. Louis. Hairston Jr. scored from second on a hit by Yuniesky Betancourt. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Matt Holliday and Allen Craig homered for the Cardinals, representing their only runs in the last 16 innings.

"I think it's classic because playing each other so many times, we're dead even," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "It comes down to that day, who makes the pitch."

Francisco Rodriguez allowed a hit in the eighth, and John Axford finished for his second save of the series and third this postseason.

The Brewers ended an eight-game road losing streak in the postseason dating to the 1982 World Series opener at St. Louis. And Wolf ended a lengthy drought of his own. His 342 starts before Thursday without a postseason victory were the most among active pitchers.

Game 4 loser Kyle Lohse moves to second on the list at 298 starts, trailing only Ted Lilly's 318.

The Brewers' Jerry Hairston Jr. slides past Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina during the fourth inning of Game 4 of the NL championship series Thursday in St. Louis. Hairston Jr. scored from second on a hit by Yuniesky Betancourt. (David J. Phillip ~ Associated Press)

Jaime Garcia faces Zack Greinke for the second time in the series in Game 5 tonight. Either way, the NLCS will be decided back at Miller Park.

"We're pretty much the only team that's played pretty well in Milwaukee," Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Flip the page and hopefully come back tomorrow. It's a great series. Nobody is going to run away."

Jerry Hairston Jr. doubled twice with an RBI, and Wolf hit one of the Brewers' five doubles. Braun is batting .471 (16 for 34) with two homers and nine RBIs in the postseason.

The Cardinals needed more heavy duty from their bullpen after Lohse, who was pitching on 12 days' rest, failed to make it out of the fifth.

"I'm not going to blame it on the layoff," Lohse said. "We're professionals and we've got get the job done. Tonight, we didn't do it."

Pujols was a quiet 1 for 4 for St. Louis, which was 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and is 0 for 15 after the first inning of Game 3.

"They have good pitching, but we have good pitching, too," Hairston said. "They've been good for us all year long."

Wolf kept the Cardinals off-balance with soft tosses and retired 13 of his last 15 hitters in his fourth career postseason start. It was a huge improvement from Game 4 of the NL division series at Arizona in which he surrendered seven runs over three innings.

Wolf also struggled in his last two regular-season starts, allowing 10 runs over 11 2/3 innings.

"Regardless of how the game went, I was satisfied with the fact that I was going to have that opportunity," Wolf said. "It's kind of a weird word, but it's redemption to go back out there."

The Cardinals had to lean heavily on their relievers for the fourth consecutive game. Lohse sailed through three innings and then allowed three doubles and three runs to his last eight hitters. He was charged with three runs over 4 1/3 innings.

St. Louis relievers have worked 17 1/3 innings in the series.

Two of La Russa's moves paid off. Holliday, who was bumped down one spot to fifth, hit his first postseason homer and doubled.

Craig started in place of Lance Berkman, who was 3 for 32 lifetime against Wolf and had a minor right thigh bruise from getting hit by a pitch in Game 3. Craig hit his first career postseason homer to make it 2-0 in the third.

The Brewers tied it in the fourth with their first runs since the third inning of Game 3 on doubles by Prince Fielder and Hairston and an RBI single by Yuniesky Betancourt.

Lohse was pulled after Nyjer Morgan doubled to start the fifth and advanced on a ground out. Braun's single off Mitchell Boggs put the Brewers in front, although second baseman Ryan Theriot's sprawling stop transformed Fielder's smash into an inning-ending double play.