Ashby ties Sale for big league lead with 6th win as Brewers defeat Cardinals 6-2

ST. LOUIS — Aaron Ashby tied Atlanta's Chris Sale for the major league lead with his sixth win, backed by Andrew Vaughn's three-run homer in a four-run first inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 Wednesday.

Aaron Ashby (6-0) entered to open the sixth and pitched two hitless innings, allowing his only runner to reach on a walk, as five pitchers combined on a four-hitter.

Rookie Brandon Sproat started and gave up one hit and three walks over four innings while striking out five.

Andre Pallante (3-3) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings as the Cardinals lost for the second time in nine games.

St. Louis left fielder Nathan Church left after four innings with a bruised left leg. Milwaukee leadoff hitter and centerfielder Garrett Mitchell was scratched before the game because of illness.

St. Louis burst ahead in the first on Jake Bauers' two-out RBI single and Vaughn's first regular-season home run since last Aug. 15 — he went deep twice in the NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.

Joey Ortiz scored on Pallante's wild pitch in the fifth and Jackson Chourio hit an RBI double in the ninth. Chourio went 6 for 10 with three doubles in the rain-shortened, two-game series, including 4 for 4 Monday in his first game after recovering from a broken left hand.

Alec Burleson had an RBI single in the eighth for St. Louis and José Fermín hit a run-scoring grounder in the ninth.

Up next

Brewers: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84) starts Friday's series opener against the New York Yankees and LHP Max Fried (4-1, 2.39).

Cardinals: LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-1, 4.50) starts Thursday at San Diego, which starts RHP Michael King (3-2, 2.95).