McGehee homers off Smoltz, Brewers beat Cardinals

ST. LOUIS — Rookie Casey McGehee hit a two-run homer off John Smoltz after St. Louis failed to turn a double play, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cardinals 4-3 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Manny Parra settled down after a slow start and pitched into the seventh inning for Milwaukee, which has won four of six.

Trevor Hoffman closed for his 30th save, striking out Albert Pujols with a runner on base to end the game.

Smoltz (1-1), making his third start for the Cardinals, allowed four runs and six hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked none.

The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead into the sixth, but Craig Counsell led off with a double and took third on an infield single by Frank Catalanotto.

Smoltz struck out Ryan Braun, then got Prince Fielder to ground into a potential inning-ending double play. But second baseman Julio Lugo juggled the ball momentarily and could only throw out Fielder as the tying run scored.

McGehee followed with a go-ahead drive just inside the left-field foul pole for his 13th homer of the season. He homered for the second time in three games and finished with nine RBIs in the series. He also drove in the Brewers’ first run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Parra (10-10) allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. He gave up a leadoff homer to Lugo and Ryan Ludwick’s RBI single in the first before settling down, and improved to 3-1 against the NL Central leaders this season.

St. Louis loaded the bases with one out in the seventh. Reliever Mitch Stetter struck out Khalil Greene looking and Claudio Vargas got Pujols to ground out on a 3-2 pitch.

Matt Holliday, who had three hits, brought the Cardinals to 4-3 with a leadoff homer in the eighth. It was his 10th as a Cardinal and 21st overall. He singled earlier in the game for his 1,000th career hit.

Pinch-hitter Colby Rasmus walked later in the eighth, but was picked off by Vargas. Hoffman worked around Lugo’s one-out bunt single with one out in the ninth.

NOTES: Smoltz struck out at least one batter in each of his first 14 innings with the Cardinals. The string came to an end in the fourth inning. … St. Louis pitcher Brad Thompson served the first game of a two-day suspension on Thursday. He was originally given a three-day ban for throwing near the head of New York’s David Wright, and the penalty was reduced on appeal. … Lugo’s leadoff homer, the 10th of his career, was the first by a Cardinals player since Skip Schumaker did it on June 25, 2008 at Detroit.