Cardinals down Brewers for 9th consecutive win

Jon Lester allowed two runs in six innings for his 200th career victory as the surging St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to nine with a 5-2 victory over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

By winning the opener of the four-game series, the Cardinals (80-69) retained at least a three-game lead for the second National League wild-card spot. Milwaukee (91-59) leads St. Louis by 10 1/2 in the NL Centr