By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 8:45 p.m. ET June 9, 2012
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Kyle Lohse allowed three hits in 7 2-3 innings to outduel Justin Masterson, and Carlos Beltran hit his National League-leading 17th home run in the St. Louis Cardinals' 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night.
Michael Brantley had two singles to extend his hitting streak to 17 games for Cleveland. But the Indians had only three runners in scoring position against Lohse (6-1), who ended a string of five starts with no decisions and a 5.16 ERA, and two relievers.
Beltran homered with two outs in the third and had three of the seven hits for St. Louis, which has won three of four. Shane Robinson doubled to start the eighth and scored on Rafael Furcal's one-out sacrifice fly against Jeremy Accardo.
The game took just 2 hours, 14 minutes, the fastest of the season for both teams.
Masterson (2-6) struck out six with no walks in seven innings, while giving up five hits, but fell to 1-4 in his last seven starts. He retired the side in order three of his last four innings.
Lohse moved a game above .500 at 108-107 with his first win over the Indians since 2004, when he worked an inning of relief in a 12-inning game. The outing was his longest of the season, one out longer than on opening day when he won at Miami, and he threw 105 pitches for his first time in triple digits this season.
Yadier Molina threw out Asdrubal Cabrera attempting to steal, ending the eighth on reliever Marc Rzepczynski's only pitch, and Jason Motte finished for his 11th save in 14 chances.
Brantley is 24 for 65 (.369) during the longest current streak in the majors.
Molina reached a pair of firsts for St. Louis, batting third the first time in his career and getting caught stealing for the first time in six attempts on a nice throw by catcher Carlos Santana to end the sixth. The slow-footed Molina usually catches foes napping.
The Cardinals won with a rejiggered lineup after Matt Holliday was scratched just before game time with mid-back spasms. Beltran stayed in the second slot in the new lineup, and nine of his homers have come batting second.
NOTES: David Freese didn't leave the box on a groundout to third ending the fourth, believing he'd fouled a ball off his left foot. He turned the opposite direction for several seconds before pivoting back and noting the Indians had left the field, then Freese and manager Mike Matheny briefly complained to home plate umpire Mark Wegner. ... RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, who starts the series finale against rookie RHP Joe Kelly, has a 3.09 ERA in seven starts with a win or no decision, but is 0-4 with a 10.42 ERA when taking the loss. RHP Joe Kelly starts in his major league debut, one day after his 24th birthday, in place of injured Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals. Kelly is 2-5 at Triple-A Memphis but leads the Pacific Coast League with a 2.86 ERA. He's a distant relative of gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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