Tommy Pham hits 2 homers in Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over Brewers

MILWAUKEE With less than three weeks and uncertain playing time to state a case for being on the postseason roster, Cardinals rookie Tommy Pham has flexed on this road trip.

Pham hit two home runs to heft the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory Wednesday night against Milwaukee at Miller Park. Pham home runs each longer than the last, at 415 feet and 432 feet joined forces with Matt Carpenter’s solo homer to produce all the runs the Cardinals had and all the runs the Cardinals would need.

They failed to produce an insurance run in the ninth despite loading the bases on former Cardinal Kyle Lohse. Trevor Rosenthal preserved the one-run lead for his 45th save of the season, tying the career high he set last summer, his first on the job as a closer.

Starter Jaime Garcia worked 6 1/3 innings, experiencing the game in extremes. Garcia allowed few balls outside of the infield, but those that he did rocketed toward the wall or over it. The Cardinals’ lefty coaxed 12 groundouts, and with four strikeouts that meant 16 of his 19 outs did not leave the reach of an infielder or the catcher. The ones that did, really did. All four of the Brewers’ runs from their diluted lineup came in the fourth inning. Three of them happened on Martin Maldonado’s home run to the right-center field.

The first four Brewers of that inning reached base and all four of them scored to trim the Cardinals’ lead down to a run. Garcia got three consecutive groundouts end the inning there.

The victory gave the Cardinals their first three-game winning streak of the month and allowed them to maintain their lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pham homered in his final at-bat over the weekend at Cincinnati, did not start Tuesday in Milwaukee, and returned to the lineup Wednesday night. He hit two-run homers in each of his first two at-bats to join a select group of Cardinals, most of whom have been noteworthy home run hitters in their careers. Pham was the seventh Cardinal since 1974 to hit three home runs in three consecutive at-bats. Albert Pujols did it three times, and Lance Berkman, Mark Whitten, Troy Glaus, Reggie Smith and Ray Lankford each did it once.

Pham is the first rookie to do it.

Despite the show of talent, the numbers remain against Pham. The Cardinals are carrying seven outfielders on the roster, including Matt Holliday, who was activated Tuesday. They may take as few as five into the postseason on the active roster. After the three starters, that leaves two spots for the Cardinals to consider, and either Randal Grichuk or Stephen Piscotty whoever isn’t starting somewhere appears to be a lock. Pham would have to leapfrog Jon Jay for a spot on the bench, and Jay, though just back from a wrist injury, has history. That’s how manager Mike Matheny explained each of the past two days.

“Experience goes into play,” Matheny said. “Then at the time who looks like this is the guy who could give us the best chance. Tommy is going to be in the same boat as everybody else. He brings speed. He brings defense. He brings power. But there are also some things that we haven’t seen enough of to know is this something we can depend on. So we keep giving him opportunities when we can.”

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