Brewers. Cardinals win; Twins take over first in AL Central

Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart each hit home runs and Dave Bush pitched a 5-hitter over 6 innings to help Milwaukee sweep a four-game series against Washington.

Weeks led off the first with a homer and Hart added a 2-run homer in the fourth for the Brewers, who swept the Nationals at Miller Park for the second consecutive season.

The Brewers' sixth straight victory moved them 3 games ahead of St. Louis for the NL wild card despite the absence of Ryan Braun for the second straight game. Out with a lower-back injury, he's listed day to day.

Bush (7-9) won his third straight start against Washington. He walked two and struck out six. He left with a 4-1 lead.

Cardinals 4, Marlins 2: Yadier Molina hit a 2-run homer, Joel Pineiro pitched 7 strong innings, and St. Louis beat Florida in a matchup of surprising playoff contenders.

Joe Mather added a pinch-hit home run in the ninth for the Cardinals, who took the opener of a four-game series to keep pace with Milwaukee in the NL wild-card race.

Pineiro (5-5) gave up 2 runs, 1 earned, and 7 hits. Kyle McClellan worked out of a jam in the eighth to protect a 1-run lead, and Chris Perez pitched the ninth for his second save.

American League

Twins 4, Yankees 0: Brand new father Glen Perkins pitched 8 outstanding innings, and light-hitting Adam Everett hit a 2-run homer, lifting host Minnesota to a shutout victory over reeling New York.

Perkins (9-3) allowed 4 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts. He induced 2 inning-ending double plays and got a standing ovation when he left after the eighth.

The Twins took a half-game lead in the AL Central over the White Sox, who lost 5-1 to the Red Sox.