Woodruff stars as Brewers beat Flaherty, Cardinals 4-0

MILWAUKEE – Brandon Woodruff pitched four-hit ball into the sixth inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday night for their sixth straight win.

Willy Adames hit a solo homer for Milwaukee, and rookie Garrett Mitchell collected two more hits. Christian Yelich had a run-scoring groundout.

Woodruff (1-0) struck out four and walked two in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander improved to 9-1 in his last 20 starts dating to last season.

After Woodruff departed, five Milwaukee reliever combined for 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball. Matt Bush got three outs before Bryse Wilson retired the side in order in the ninth.

St. Louis right-hander Jack Flaherty (1-1) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. He walked six and struck out three in his 100th big league start.

Milwaukee jumped in front with two runs in the third. Rowdy Tellez drove in Yelich with a sacrifice fly, and Mitchell added an RBI single.

The Brewers had a chance for more, but Brice Turang bounced to third with the bases loaded.

Adames connected in the seventh, making it 4-0 with a drive to right-center against Jordan Hicks. It was Adames’ first homer of the season.

Tyler O’Neill played center field for St. Louis in his first start since he was criticized by manager Oliver Marmol for his baserunning. O’Neill went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

Marmol took issue with O’Neill’s turn around third as he attempted to score from second on a liner to right during the seventh inning of Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss to Atlanta. O’Neill contended he was hustling on the play.

“He’s back in the lineup,” Marmol said before the loss. “I think he’s our best chance to win today.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (groin) threw a full 30-pitch bullpen session and could throw another one Sunday. … OF Lars Nootbaar, on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb contusion, is going to do his hitting progression with the club next week.

Brewers: LHP Aaron Ashby underwent arthroscopic surgery on the labrum in his left shoulder on Friday. He opened the season on the injured list. There is no timetable for his return. … OF Tyrone Taylor, on the 10-day injured list retroactive to March 27 with a right elbow strain, suffered a slight setback and is resting before resuming baseball activities in three to four days.

UP NEXT

Jordan Montgomery (1-0, 5.40 ERA) pitches for St. Louis on Saturday against Eric Lauer (1-0, 3.38 ERA) in a matchup of left-handers.

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.