Brewers demote Gagne, then win

MILWAUKEE -- The ninth inning for the Milwaukee Brewers’ new closer by committee was as adventurous as some of Eric Gagne’s recent outings. There was one difference, though: the Brewers held on for the win.

With Gagne yanked from the closer’s role Sunday after faltering in back-to-back outings, relievers Salomon Torres and Brian Shouse helped make Jeff Suppan’s seven solid innings stand up by holding on for a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I feel good about every reliever I’ve got down there,” Brewers Manager Ned Yost said. “These guys make their money by being ready.”

The Brewers yanked Gagne after the reliever called his latest performance embarrassing and said he didn’t feel he deserved to pitch the ninth anymore.

Yost said he read Gagne’s comments and will use a closer-by-committee approach while Gagne takes what Yost called a “mental break.”

Ryan Braun homered twice for the Brewers, who won for the second time in nine games.

Braun homered in the third and fifth innings to give Milwaukee a 4-1 lead.

Albert Pujols walked twice and singled to extend his streak of reaching base safely in every game this season to 39.