Andrew Knizner’s grand slam caps scoring as Cards clobber Brewers

Nolan Gorman and Nolan Arenado hit three-run homers and combined for nine RBIs to power the St. Louis Cardinals past the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 18-1 Monday.

Andrew Knizner hit grand slam homer off Brewers infielder Mike Brousseau in the eighth inning to cap the scoring.

Jack Flaherty (3-4) blanked the Brewers on three hits in seven innings as the Cardinals won for the seventh time in eight games.

Flaherty struck out 10 batters, his season high, while working with Willson Contreras -- who resumed catching after his nine-game relegation to designated hitter.

Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (4-3) allowed six runs on six hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings.

The Cardinals surged to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Lars Nootbaar walked, Gorman hit a single and Arenado yanked his three-run homer.

Arenado has hit a home run in four straight games and is 9-for-17 with 11 RBIs during that span.

St. Louis tacked on a second-inning run. Tommy Edman reached on an infield single, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Paul Goldschmidt's double.

Flaherty retired eight straight batters into the fourth inning and runners from scoring position for the rest of his outing.

Peralta hit Paul DeJong leading off the sixth inning and allowed Edman's one-out single before exiting. Nootbaar greeted Bryse Wilson with an infield single to load the bases, then Goldschmidt hit an RBI infield single.

Gorman followed with a two-run double and Arenado's sacrifice fly made it 8-0.

The Brewers cut the lead to 8-1 in the eighth inning on singles by Joey Wiemer, Owen Miller and Jesse Winker off James Naile.

The Cardinals made it 18-1 in the bottom of the inning on Edman's solo homer, Gorman's three-run blast, RBI singles by Alec Burleson and Edman and, finally, Knizner's grand slam.