Braun hits 2 HRs, Brewers hold on for 5-3 win

Ryan Braun hit a pair of solo home runs, Jeff Suppan pitched seven solid innings and the Milwaukee Brewers´ new closer by committee held on for a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

With Eric Gagne out as the closer, the Brewers turned to Salomon Torres and Brian Shouse in the ninth. Torres allowed a leadoff double and a walk before giving way to Shouse with two outs. Shouse, a left-handed specialist, gave up an RBI single to Yadier Molina before finishing for his first save and fifth of his career.

The Brewers, who won for the second time in nine games, scored twice off St. Louis starter Braden Looper (5-2) in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Prince Fielder and Corey Hart´s double.

Braun homered in the third and fifth innings to give Milwaukee a 4-1 lead.

Suppan (2-2) worked into and out of trouble all day. The right-hander gave up six hits and walked five, but struck out four to pick up the first win for a Milwaukee starter other than Ben Sheets since Manny Parra beat San Francisco on April 5.

Ryan Ludwick struck out three times for St. Louis, but hit a solo homer off Brewers reliever David Riske in the eighth inning to make it 4-2. The Brewers added a run in the eighth when J.J. Hardy doubled home Bill Hall.

Albert Pujols walked twice and singled to extend his streak of reaching base safely in every game this season to 39. But the Cardinals´ slugger ran into three of St. Louis´ four outs on the base paths when he was picked off in the first, caught trying to advance on a single in the third and doubled off second on a line drive out in the sixth.

Looper allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk in six innings.