Marrero stays hot, pushes Cards ahead

ST. LOUIS -- Eli Marrero extended his sizzling start with three hits, raising his average to .733, and scored the go-ahead run as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 Tuesday night.

Marrero, who entered the season as a .229 hitter and the No. 3 catcher, has been playing the outfield and is 11-for-15 with a home run and five RBIs. He hit a two-run double in the second, singled and scored in the fourth and singled and scored on Fernando Vina's sacrifice fly off Jose Cabrera (0-1) in the eighth.

The Cardinals' bullpen couldn't hold a 4-0 lead in the seventh as the Brewers rallied for five runs to take the lead. But St. Louis tied it in the bottom half on four walks by Takahito Nomura, the last coming on four pitches with the bases loaded to Tino Martinez.

Marrero led off the eighth with a single and went to third when Cabrera slipped and fell fielding pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo's bunt and then bounced a wild throw to first for an error. Marrero barely beat the throw from right fielder Alex Ochoa on Vina's sacrifice fly.

Dave Veres (1-0) pitched two innings for the win.

Jason Isringhausen struck out three batters for his first save after Geoff Jenkins' leadoff double against Steve Kline.

The Brewers, who struck out an NL-record 33 times in losing to Arizona's Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling over the weekend, didn't get a hit off Garrett Stephenson until Alex Ochoa singled with two outs in the fifth.

Ronnie Belliard doubled and Jeffrey Hammonds singled to start the seventh and chase Stephenson. Richie Sexson singled off Gene Stechschulte for a run.

Jenkins doubled off Mike Matthews and Ochoa followed with a two-run double off Veres. Raul Casanova's sacrifice fly put the Brewers in front.

Stephenson, a 16-game winner in 2000, gave up four hits and two runs in six-plus innings with four strikeouts and one walk.