MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fifth inning, and Lance Lynn pitched the St. Louis Cardinals past the Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 Friday night.
Lynn (9-6) stranded nine runners in six innings as the NL Central leaders became the first major league team to reach 70 wins this season. He allowed six hits and four walks while throwing 109 pitches.
It was the second consecutive shutout and 12th this season for the Cardinals (70-39), who beat Cincinnati 3-0 on Thursday behind All-Star Michael Wacha.
 
Grichuk hits 3-run HR, Lynn pitches Cards past Brewers 6-0
 
Brewers rookie Tyler Cravy (0-3) replaced veteran Kyle Lohse in the rotation and had little trouble with St. Louis until unraveling in the fifth. The Cardinals had three doubles, a walk and a single in the inning before Grichuk hit his 14th homer.
The Cardinals have won 42 of 63 games against the Brewers since St. Louis beat Milwaukee in six games in the 2011 NL Championship Series.
Cravy allowed only three hits and a walk through the first four innings. Brandon Moss and Stephen Piscotty hit consecutive doubles to open the fifth to make it 1-0. One out later, Matt Carpenter hit the first of his two doubles, scoring Piscotty for a 2-0 lead.
Kolten Wong walked and Jason Heyward singled to score Carpenter. Grichuk then hit a 1-1 pitch into the right-center stands.
Cravy pitched five innings, giving up six runs and eight hits.
The Brewers left two runners on in the first, second and fourth against Lynn. Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but the big right-hander struck out pinch-hitter Logan Schafer to end his night on the mound.
Carlos Villanueva pitched three perfect innings for his second save.
Since returning to the leadoff spot for the Cardinals on July 30, Carpenter is batting .406 (13 for 32) with five home runs and 10 RBIs.
Lohse, demoted to the bullpen after going 5-13 with a 6.31 ERA in 22 starts, made his first relief appearance since Sept. 8, 2009, when he pitched a scoreless innings for the Cardinals against Milwaukee. The right-hander worked two shutout innings in this one.
The game was a rematch of the starting pitchers from June 2, when Lynn and the Cardinals beat the Brewers 1-0 in Cravy's major league debut.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Milwaukee. Shane Peterson went 3 for 4 with three singles.
 

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