Summary O'Neill ran to third on the error, then scored when third baseman Arenado hit a sacrifice fly.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 on Tuesday to clinch a spot in the National League wild card game and extend their team-record winning streak to 17 games.
Pitcher Adam Wainwright recorded his 17th win of the season for St. Louis, whose streak is the longest in Major League Baseball since Cleveland won 22 consecutive games in 2017.
Wainwright allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings and drove in a run. Nolan Arenado hit a homer and drove in two runs and Jose Rondon hit a solo homer for St. Louis in front of a crowd of 35,700 at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.
“To be able to go to the playoffs is what it’s all about. I’m just thankful to be a part of this team,” Arenado said. “This team is unbelievable, we’ve carried each other. I’m just happy to be a part of it. This is why I’m here.”
Luis Urias belted a two run home run for Milwaukee, who dropped to 94-63 on the season and lost for the sixth time in their past nine games.
Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff allowed two runs on seven hits in four innings. He threw a total of 63 pitches. Reliever Jandel Gustave took the loss.
The Cardinals took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning when Paul Goldschmidt hit a leadoff double and scored when outfielder Tyler O’Neill’s single to right field bounced past Brewers center fielder Avisail Garcia.
O’Neill ran to third on the error, then scored when third baseman Arenado hit a sacrifice fly.
Rondon’s homer in the sixth inning extended the Cardinals’ lead to 5-2 and Arenado’s seventh-inning home run made it 6-2 to cap the scoring.
St. Louis will play in the wild-card game against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the San Francisco Giants.
