Frankie Montas delivered a stellar seven-inning performance, while Devin Williams navigated a tough ninth inning to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-2 victory over the struggling St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.
Acquired from Cincinnati, Montas (6-8) gave up just one hit—a fourth-inning single by Alec Burleson—while striking out three and walking one in his fourth start with Milwaukee. “They like to swing early,” Montas noted. “So I used that to my advantage, aiming for good spots to get quick outs.”
William Contreras led the Brewers with three hits, as the team notched their sixth consecutive win. Sal Frelick also contributed with two hits. Contreras praised Montas’ aggressive approach. “He was attacking the zone,” Contreras said through a translator. “He stayed sharp, and we talked about maintaining that aggressiveness.”
Montas’ seven innings tied his season high, while his one hit allowed matched a season low. “He’s stepped it up,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy. “It’s great to have his experience on the mound.”
Matt Carpenter’s pinch-hit homer provided a late spark for St. Louis, who suffered their seventh loss in eight games. Erick Fedde (8-7) allowed two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Williams escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth by striking out Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman, earning his fifth save.
Frelick’s two-out single in the second inning brought home Willy Adames, and he later tripled and scored on Joey Ortiz’s hit in the fifth. Contreras added an RBI double in the eighth. Carpenter’s pinch-hit homer was his sixth career blast off the bench.