MILWAUKEE (AP) — In less than a month, Mike Fiers has jumped from minor league starter to playoff-race stopper.

Scooter Gennett drove in three runs and Fiers pitched into the seventh inning to lead Milwaukee past St. Louis 6-2 Friday night, snapping the Brewers’ nine-game losing streak and trimming the Cardinals’ lead in the NL Central to three games.

Fiers (5-2) gave up two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, improving to 5-1 in six starts since being called up from Triple-A Nashville on Aug. 9 and giving him half of the Brewers’ 10 wins in 28 games since then. He struck out five and walked one.

“It’s big. We needed a win here pretty soon,” said Fiers, who also helped himself with a pair of key sacrifice bunts. “I just wanted to give them a quality start, keep the runs as low as possible and give our team a chance to win. It’s a big relief, but we have more work to do tomorrow.

Jonathan Broxton, acquired Aug. 31 from Cincinnati, pitched a perfect eighth and Francisco Rodriguez got the last three outs after allowing consecutive singles to start the ninth.

Milwaukee moved one game ahead of Atlanta for the NL’s second wild-card spot. The Braves lost 11-3 at Miami.

Cardinals starter John Lackey (2-2) gave up all six runs and nine hits in six innings as St. Louis snapped a six-game winning streak.

“Kind of a weird one tonight,” Lackey said. “Felt like I threw a lot better than the line score. I felt like I had good stuff. They got a couple big hits and then kind of had a little bad luck to start a couple of those innings. It happens.”

The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the third on Gennett’s two-run single. Milwaukee doubled the lead in the fifth on Gennett’s RBI double and Jonathan Lucroy’s run-scoring single.

“We haven’t really had that early lead in a while,” Gennett said. “Especially against a team like this, you want to get ahead early. It was just nice to keep it and keep adding to it.”

The early runs marked the Brewers first two-run lead since Aug. 27 at San Diego when they blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth en route to a 3-2 loss in 10 innings. During the nine-game losing streak, Milwaukee scored two runs or fewer in eight of them.

Jhonny Peralta snapped an 0-for-10 streak and cut the lead to 4-1 in the sixth with his 19th home run, but Khris Davis answered in the bottom of the inning with his team-best 22nd homer to make it 6-1.

“You look at the two run homer, didn’t see the pitch again but it looked like it caught a lot of the plate,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “But, if that doesn’t happen we are in a 4-2 game and it would be a typical John Lackey start. The home run really kind of put it out of reach for him.”

St. Louis added a run in the seventh on a double by Peter Bourjos and a two-out pinch-hit infield single by Oscar Tavares that deflected off the glove of first baseman Lyle Overbay.

Fiers has gone at least six innings in each of his six starts, returning to the form he showed in the first half of 2012 with Milwaukee. That season, he was 8-6 with a 2.89 ERA in his first 16 starts, but 1-4 with a 7.09 ERA in his final six starts.

His struggles continued into 2013 where he was 1-4 with a 7.25 ERA in 11 games with the Brewers and was sent down twice. Fiers’ season ended in mid-June at Triple-A when he suffered a broken right forearm when he was hit by a line drive.

Now, he is keeping the Brewers playoff hopes alive.

“All those losses in a row, we didn’t play well, but I think we’ve turned it around and are playing some good baseball right now,” Fiers said. “We’re hitting the ball, we’re pitching. It’s only a matter of time before it turns around for us.”

REALLY SMALL BALL

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura had three hits — all infield singles.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Scooter Gennett stole second with one out in the third, but Cardinals manager Mike Matheny challenged the call, which was overturned after a review that lasted an estimated 52 seconds.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: CF Carlos Gomez, expected to miss a week a more with a sprained left wrist, is progressing faster than anticipated. Gomez has not started the last five games since injuring his wrist on a swing against San Francisco on Sunday. He took light batting practice in the cage before Friday’s game, although he did not swing all-out. Gomez, who pinch ran Thursday, went into center field in the ninth inning on Friday as a defensive replacement.

Gennett, who missed several games in August with a right quad muscle injury, left the game in the seventh inning with what Roenicke called a little tightness. “It’s good. I haven’t been on base in a while, so I think a lot of was just a little tired,” Gennett said. “Five runs at the time for a lead, it was just keep it safe.”

PROUD PAPA RETURNS

Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun returned from paternity leave after missing two games for the birth of his daughter, Celine Elysse. Braun went 1 for 4 with a single in the seventh inning.

ON DECK

Cardinals: Lance Lynn (14-8, 2.85 ERA) is 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA in six games at Miller Park, including five starts. With a win, he will join Max Scherzer as the only two pitchers with 15 victories in each of the last three seasons.

Brewers: Kyle Lohse (12-8, 3.68 ERA) gave up seven runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings in his last start, a 15-5 loss to San Francisco. In two starts this season against St. Louis, Lohse is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs in 10 innings.

— Associated Press —

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Inning after inning, the St. Louis bullpen got into tough jams in a one-run game.

Marco Gonzales and five fellow relievers staved off every advance, getting a huge boost from a game-saving catch in center field by Peter Bourjos.

The bullpen combined for six innings of one-run ball and the Cardinals held off the slumping Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 Thursday night for their sixth straight win.

“We had guys picking each other up all night,” manager Mike Matheny said.

The Cardinals moved to a season-high 14 games above .500 and extended their lead to four games in the NL Central over the Brewers, who lost their ninth straight

St. Louis used the bullpen early after Michael Wacha was limited to three innings in his first start off the disabled list. Gonzales (2-2) went 2 1/3 innings for the win.

“The bullpen came in there and shut the door for those last six innings,” Wacha said. “That was fun to watch.”

The Brewers stranded potential tying runs in scoring position from the sixth through the ninth, the latest frustrating loss for a team that was in first place just 10 days earlier.

Manager Ron Roenicke at least he liked the fight he saw in his club.

“We hit a lot of balls hard. Either they made a really good play on it or we hit it right at `em,” Roenicke said.

St. Louis never trailed after Yadier Molina’s two-run single in the first off Wily Peralta (15-10). Still, the Brewers had numerous chances to snap out of their two-week funk.

Seth Maness got the Cardinals out of the sixth by inducing Logan Schafer to fly out in foul territory with a runner on third. Carlos Martinez got third-place hitter Jonathan Lucroy to pop out to end the seventh with another runner on third.

In the eighth, the Brewers put runners on first and second with nobody out against Pat Neshek. The side-arming right-hander bounced back by getting Martin Maldonado to pop up a bunt attempt before Schafer hit a hard-hit fly that was tracked down by Bourjos at the center-field wall for the second out.

“I thought that ball was gone. I did. I thought it was out. Just an incredible catch. He’s not just fast — he’s got good instincts and great jumps,” Matheny said.

Jean Segura sent a flare to left fielder Matt Holliday, ending the threat in the eighth.

NEARLY THERE

Schafer thought the ball would get over Bourjos’ head. He was surprised when Bourjos tracked it down, though Schafer knows Bourjos is an excellent fielder.

The eighth inning exemplified the recent difficult stretch for the Brewers.

“We were in it the whole time,” Schafer said. “Again, we’re just waiting for that big hit.”

FINISHING IT OFF

The Cardinals used six relievers in all, with closer Trevor Rosenthal issuing two walks to put runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth. Rosenthal got pinch-hitter Jason Rogers to fly out to the edge of the warning track in right for his 42nd save.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Wacha threw 50 pitches and struck out three. He allowed three hits, including Lucroy’s RBI single in the first. The right-hander had been on the disabled list since June 18 with a right shoulder injury.

Brewers: Carlos Gomez pinch ran but remained out of the starting lineup with a left wrist injury. Roenicke said his leadoff hitter was feeling good, and the team doctor would re-evaluate Gomez in the hope that he might be able to return soon. Gomez has been sidelined since Monday.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: John Lackey (2-1) gets the start Friday, when he hopes for a repeat performance of his first start with the Cardinals after being traded from Boston. He gave up two runs in seven innings in a 3-2 victory.

Brewers: Mike Fiers (4-2) is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals, both coming in 2012.

BABY BRAUN

Ryan Braun missed a second straight game following the birth of his daughter Wednesday night. The right fielder appears likely to return for Friday’s game.

“I’d like (him) and Gomey in the lineup,” Roenicke said. “But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. This is obviously the most important thing in his life.”

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Peter Bourjos had no trouble calling the 310th hit in his big league career the biggest.

Hitting in the eighth spot, Bourjos singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 Wednesday to stretch their winning streak to five.

“I had a walkoff hit in Anaheim, but I think at this point, we’re leading the division and it’s a big game in September and the one in Anaheim was in August,” Bourjos said. “So this is the biggest hit.”

Yadier Molina walked with two outs in the ninth on a 3-2 pitch from Mark Melancon (2-4), who had entered an inning earlier. It was the first time Melancon’s pitched more than one inning since Oct. 2, 2012.

Molina advanced to second on John Jay’s single and scored on the hit by Bourjos, easily beating the throw home from center fielder Andrew McCutchen.

“I was just hoping that Yadi was able to score,” Bourjos said. “I wasn’t too sure with McCutchen playing out there. I didn’t know if he was playing shallow or deep, and I watched the play develop, and luckily Yadi was able to beat the play.”

Molina saw third base coach Jose Qquendo waving an arm to send him.

“I was thinking home plate all the way,” Molina said. “No one was going to stop me there.”

Despite having A.J. Pierzynski on the bench, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said he did not consider pinch-running for Molina, a slow-footed All-Star catcher.

“Two outs in that situation and we’re in a tight game, his value to me being behind the plate outweighs what we’re going to get on the bases from someone,” Matheny said. “If he gets thrown out, it’s a different conversation right now. He’s done such a great job in big games, we need him out there.”

St. Louis moved into sole possession of the NL Central lead for the first time Monday and extended its lead to 2 1/2 games with a three-game sweep that dropped the Pirates five games back. Pittsburgh has lost 10 of its last 12 road games, falling to a major league-worst 17-29 away from home in day games.

“They were just a little bit better than us every game,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “I mean, we’re playing competitive baseball. We’ve got to find a way to score a run every now and then when we’re out there and have some shutdown innings. We’re not going to back down. We’ll take the day off. We’re going to catch our breath and try and set some stakes down in Chicago.”

Trevor Rosenthal (2-6) pitched a one-hit ninth, aided by the eighth double play he’s induced this season. Both of his wins have come against the Pirates on ninth-inning walkoffs.

Pinch-hitter Gregory Polanco drew an 11-pitch walk leading off the eighth against Carlos Martinez, who retired the next three batters.

St. Louis starter Shelby Miller allowed three hits and three walks in seven innings. The Pirates’ Edinson Volquez gave up three hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings.

Plate home umpire Ron Kulpa issued a warning to both benches in the fifth inning after Miller threw a high fastball that sailed behind McCutchen. In the fourth, Volquez had hit Matt Holliday and Matt Adams back to back.

Hurdle was not pleased.

“This guy has been hitting it in a teacup all day and he’s not near anybody all day,” Hurdle said of Miller. “Then you fire that pitch. If he hits him, maybe you toss him. He (Kupla) was there in Arizona when McCutchen got hit.

“He (Volquez) hits him (Adams) in the foot when it’s 0-2. He’s not trying to hit him. He’s not trying to hit Holliday when it was 0-2 and runs it to 2-2. From my perspective, it was an ambush. It was a cheap shot. Ron’s got to make the call he makes and that’s what he chose to make.”

NOT RUNNING WILD

Pittsburgh catcher Russell Martin threw out Jay attempting to steal third in the eighth. Martin has thrown out runners attempting to steal in four straight games and leads the NL with 25 runners caught stealing — four short of his league-high total last year.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Infielder Pedro Alverez (left foot) sat out for the seventh consecutive game. Alverez left the Aug. 26 game against St. Louis in the seventh inning when he hurt the foot diving for a grounder down the first-base line.

Cardinals: Kolten Wong was back in the starting lineup at second base after a two-day absence.

UP NEXT:

Pirates: RHP Vance Worley (6-4, 3.01) starts Friday at the Chicago Cubs. He had lost three straight starts before beating Cincinnati 3-2 last Saturday.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-3, 2.79) starts Thursday at Milwaukee in his first big league appearance since June 17. Wacha missed 67 games because of a stress reaction in his right shoulder. He allowed one hit during two scoreless innings Sunday in an injury rehabilitation outing at Tulsa of the Double-A Texas League.

— Associated Press —