ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Montgomery pitched six strong innings for second straight scoreless outing for his new team, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado both homered, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 Friday night.
St. Louis, which has won 11 of 14, pushed its lead over Milwaukee in the NL Central to 1 1/2 games. The Cardinals won their ninth straight at home, the longest streak since a nine-game run June 2-29, 2015.
Montgomery (5-3), acquired from the New York Yankees in a trade for outfielder Harrison Bader on Aug. 2, allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked two. The left-hander pitched five scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Yankees in his Cardinals debut last Saturday.
“This clubhouse is great,” Montgomery said. “They’ve made it easy for me to fit in. They’ve gone out of their way to help me feel welcome.”
Victor Caratini had three hits and an RBI for Milwaukee, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Montgomery has given up six hits in 11 innings for St. Louis with nine strikeouts and three walks.
“It’s hard enough getting traded, probably a little bit out of the blue for him,” Goldschmidt said. “He’s proven he was ready. Hopefully, he can keep it going and we can play well behind him.”
Ryan Helsley picked up his 12th save in 15 opportunities with two scoreless innings of relief.
Montgomery struck out Christian Yelich and Willy Adames with runners on first and third to end a threat in the fifth.
“It’s a guy you can tell has been there before on the big stage,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “That’s a perfect example of just keeping your composure, knowing that if you execute, you’ll be fine.”
Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer in the first off Eric Lauer (8-4). It was…