St. Louis drops third in a row

Mark Mulder lasted just 1 2/3 innings in the Cardinals' 8-7 loss.

MILWAUKEE -- One night after defeating 21-game winner Chris Carpenter, the Milwaukee Brewers beat up on 16-game winner Mark Mulder.

Chad Moeller hit a three-run homer and Brady Clark added a two-run drive in a seven-run second inning that led Milwaukee over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 Saturday night.

Mulder (16-8) lasted 1 2/3 innings, the shortest of his 181 major league starts, and allowed seven runs, seven hits and one walk. He had pitched at least seven innings in each of his previous six starts, allowing no more than two earned runs.

"I don't think he had his good stuff," Moeller said. "That doesn't happen to him. His numbers prove that."

Gary Glover (4-4) made his first appearance since June 5 and his first start since May 25. Glover, who was recalled from Class AAA Nashville on Sept. 20, struck out a career-high eight in six innings, matching his longest outing this year. He gave up three runs and five hits.

"That seven-run inning helped a little bit," Glover said. "It helped me relax."

Milwaukee built an 8-3 lead, then hung on.

"Trust me, the last thing I want to go out and do is give up a bunch of runs," Mulder said. "That's the furthest thing from my mind. I just couldn't get it to stop. One bad pitch after another."

Chris Duncan hit a two-run double in the ninth off Dana Eveland for his first major league hit and RBIs. Derrick Turnbow gave up an RBI double to Hector Luna, then threw a run-scoring wild pitch on a strikeout, allowing John Gall to reach. Scott Seabol grounded into a forceout, giving Turnbow his 35th save in 39 chances.

"That's one thing about the Cardinals, they're not going to lay down and die," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "Even after we scored seven runs I wasn't comfortable. They can put runs on the board in a hurry."

St. Louis, preparing for the NL playoffs, has lost three straight, matching its season high.

"We didn't come out there to lose, but it wasn't a total loss," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "It was exciting at the end."

Milwaukee (77-77) is trying to finish with a winning record for the first time since 1992, when the Brewers in the American League.

"It's a big win," Glover said. "One step closer."