MILWAUKEE (AP) — Yadier Molina’s defense and longevity might earn him a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Suddenly the veteran St. Louis Cardinals catcher is on a home-run tear.

He homered twice to back a strong start by Miles Mikolas and lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

Molina’s two-run homer in the sixth inning off reliever Jeremy Jeffress gave St. Louis the lead and the Cardinals held on behind the solid pitching of Mikolas and four relievers.

Molina has five home runs in his last six games, including another two-homer game in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said the 35-year-old Molina has developed more power as he has grown older.

“He was such a young player when he came up,” Matheny said of Molina, who earlier this week set a major league record for most games caught with one team (now 1,762).

“You figured there was going to be room for improvement but the route he has taken is unique because you can’t always count on that kind of willpower. He’s as driven a player as I’ve ever seen.”

Marcell Ozuna led off the sixth with a line-drive single to center and scored on Molina’s shot to right-center, a ball that bounced off the top of the wall and into the St. Louis bullpen for a 3-2 Cardinals lead.

“He did some damage today,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He was their offense.”

The Brewers (45-31) remained two games ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central after Chicago lost in Cincinnati on Saturday.

Mikolas (8-2), who pitched in Japan last season, allowed three hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings while walking two and striking out five. Bud Norris earned his 14th save with a scoreless ninth. Jeffress (5-1) took the loss.

“We didn’t have any idea what we were getting when we got him and he’s been everything as advertised from the Japanese league, plus,” Matheny said of Mikolas. “You just don’t know how that’s going to translate.”

Mikolas retired 16 of the last 17 hitters he faced.

The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Jesus Aguilar and an RBI single by newcomer Brad Miller.

St. Louis closed the gap when Molina led off the second inning with a solo home run to right-center.

Brewers starter Chase Anderson did not yield another run in five innings, giving up two hits and striking out nine while walking four.

The Brewers had a big chance in the eighth when they loaded the bases with two outs on two hit batters and an infield single. Aguilar grounded out to shortstop against Cardinals reliever Sam Tuivailala to end the threat.

MILLER DEBUTS

The Brewers recalled infielder Brad Miller from Triple-A Colorado Springs and optioned struggling outfielder Domingo Santana.

Miller, acquired from Tampa Bay on June 10 in exchange for first baseman-outfielder Ji-Man Choi, was in the Brewers starting lineup at second base and had a bloop RBI single in his first at-bat.

Santana hit .278 last season for Milwaukee with 30 homers and 85 RBI, but never got on track this season. He hit .249, with three homers and 17 RBI in 189 at-bats.

Miller, who played 95 games at shortstop for Tampa Bay in 2016, likely will play a utility role with Milwaukee.

“I was pretty excited to get the call and come to a team in first place,” Miller said. “I have the versatility to play everywhere but I’m definitely more comfortable in the middle of the diamond.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Brewers: Ryan Braun entered in the fifth inning to play left field, when outfielder Lorenzo Cain exited due to groin tightness. Cain also was hit by a pitch in the right elbow on Friday and hit by a pitch in the back in the first inning Saturday. Counsell said Cain would not play Sunday in the series finale. “He’s just a little beat up,” Counsell said. Braun appeared for the first time since receiving a cryogenic injection in his right thumb on Wednesday and went 1-for-2. . RHP Zach Davies (10-day DL, right rotator cuff inflammation) is scheduled to make a second rehab start for Colorado Springs on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (3-6, 4.69 ERA) will be making his 16th start of the season and seventh career start against the Brewers. He is 2-2 against Milwaukee.

Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (6-2, 3.18 ERA) had a six-game winning streak snapped in a 1-0 loss at Pittsburgh on Monday. Chacin is 0-6 with a 5.88 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Neither Jesus Aguilar nor Bud Norris wanted to let their team down.

Aguilar succeeded twice.

Aguilar homered to break up rookie Jack Flaherty’s no-hit bid in the seventh inning, then homered again in the ninth to lift the Milwaukee Brewers over the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Friday night.

Both teams got just three hits. The benches and bullpens briefly cleared in the eighth after Eric Sogard slid into St. Louis shortstop Yairo Munoz, who caught a wide throw on a bunt play in the eighth.

Norris (3-2) started the ninth for the Cardinals by striking out Travis Shaw. But, Aguilar followed with an opposite-field drive to right for his 16th home run.

“Don’t get a strikeout. Don’t get a strikeout,” Aguilar said about digging in against Norris. “That’s why I was kind of overaggressive, I think. I got lucky to hit that pitch.”

Norris, speaking in front of his locker in the subdued Cardinals clubhouse, owned up to the mistake.

“I yanked one pitch, and he hit it,” Norris said. “That’s the game.”

It was another tough loss for the Cardinals, who have lost nine of the last 12.

“Watching them walk us off, that’s hard,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “Jack did everything he could possibly do.”

Corey Knebel (1-0) pitched the ninth for the NL Central leaders.

With one out in the seventh, Aguilar drove an 83 mph slider from Flaherty into the Brewers’ bullpen in left, where reliever Jeremy Jeffress caught the ball on the fly. A woman who was knitting — it appeared to be crochet, actually — in the front row behind home plate barely flinched as Aguilar connected.

“He got that ball almost off the ground,” catcher Yadier Molina said. “We’ve got to give him some credit.”

Aguilar tipped his cap to Flaherty.

“He was dominating the strike zone tonight, and I think we got lucky,” he said. “We tied the game in the moment. It’s a new game, and we’re moving forward, thinking we’re going to win this game.”

Flaherty matched a career high by striking out 13 in seven innings, allowing just one hit. The Cardinals played stellar defense behind him after giving up six unearned runs with a season-high four errors in Thursday’s 11-3 loss to Milwaukee. Munoz robbed Jonathan Villar of a base hit in the fifth with a nice running backhand stab of a liner tailing away from him.

“That was unbelievable,” Molina said of Flaherty’s performance. “Good pitching, good effort. Everything was working for him. We didn’t hit enough to get him the win tonight.”

Matt Carpenter walked, advanced on a sacrifice by Harrison Bader and scored on Marcell Ozuna’s liner up the middle in the third.

Brewers starter Junior Guerra allowed one run and three hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in five-plus innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: INF Paul DeJong (left hand fracture) took batting practice and is anxious to return. “It looked like he didn’t miss a beat, but we’re going to have to slow down and make sure we’re following the program,” manager Mike Matheny said.

Brewers: LF Ryan Braun missed his second consecutive game after receiving a cryotherapy injection in his troublesome right thumb Wednesday in Los Angeles. … LHP Wade Miley (right oblique strain) made a rehab start for Double-A Biloxi. He went two innings and allowed a run on three hits and struck out three.

QUOTABLE

Each team struck out 15 times and each one seemed to bring consternation with plate umpire Tim Timmons.

“When the pitchers keep putting the balls on the corners, there’s going to be some disagreements,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “There were a lot of balls put on corners tonight.”

YOU’RE GONE

Tommy Pham, batting second, was ejected by Timmons after Pham took a called third strike in the first. He continued to bark about it from the dugout before being tossed for the first time in his career. Bader replaced Pham in center field.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (7-2, 2.69 ERA) makes his third start against the Brewers this season. He won 8-4 in his Cardinals debut on April 2.

Brewers: RHP Chase Anderson (5-6, 4.54 ERA) makes his second start this season against the Cardinals. He is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 10 career outings, including a no-decision April 3 at Miller Park.

— Associated Press —