Aaron Ashby is making a strong case for early-season dominance. The Milwaukee Brewers' pitcher tied Atlanta's Chris Sale for the major league lead with his sixth win on Wednesday, leading the Brewers to a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The game started with a bang for Milwaukee. Andrew Vaughn crushed a three-run homer in a four-run first inning, giving the Brewers an early cushion they wouldn't relinquish. Ashby (6-0) entered in the sixth inning and delivered two hitless frames, allowing just one runner on a walk. He was part of a five-pitcher combination that held the Cardinals to just four hits.
Rookie Brandon Sproat got the start and showed promise, allowing only one hit and three walks over four innings while striking out five. The Cardinals' Andre Pallante (3-3) took the loss, giving up five runs and eight hits in six innings.
The game wasn't without its setbacks. St. Louis left fielder Nathan Church exited after four innings with a bruised left leg, while Milwaukee leadoff hitter and center fielder Garrett Mitchell was scratched before the game due to illness.
St. Louis showed fight early, taking the lead in the first on Jake Bauers' two-out RBI single and Vaughn's first regular-season home run since last August 15. Vaughn had previously gone deep twice in the NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, so this was a welcome return to form.
Joey Ortiz scored on Pallante's wild pitch in the fifth, and Jackson Chourio added an RBI double in the ninth. Chourio was on fire in the rain-shortened two-game series, going 6 for 10 with three doubles, including a 4-for-4 performance Monday in his first game back from a broken left hand.
Alec Burleson drove in a run for St. Louis in the eighth, and José Fermín added a run-scoring grounder in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to overcome Milwaukee's early lead.
Looking ahead, the Brewers will send RHP Jacob Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84) to the mound Friday against the New York Yankees and LHP Max Fried (4-1, 2.39). The Cardinals will start LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-1, 4.50) on Thursday at San Diego against RHP Michael King (3-2, 2.95).