Relieving Dakota Hudson with the bases loaded and two out in the fifth inning, the righthander blew away Kike Hernandez. In the sixth, Brebbia struck out two more hitters and lowered his opponents’ batting average to .080 for the season. His timing was good in that he entered the game at just the precise point to nab his first victory of the season.
The Cardinals, with their third consecutive triumph, climbed above .500 for the first time since last season, as Yadier Molina’s two doubles drove in three runs and nearly four — one run was called back when the ball bounced over the wall — and Paul Goldschmidt bashed his sixth homer, snapping a nothing-for-12 skid.