MILWAUKEE — What could have been a runaway became a tightrope walk.

Nolan Gorman’s three-run, mammoth homer after a teammate was plunked by a pitch shoved the Cardinals out to a six-run lead in the fifth inning all while their starter, Andre Pallante, was piling up a season-high total of strikeouts. After a bruising week, here was the balm the Cardinals needed — but only for a few minutes. Milwaukee’s challenge began by ousting Pallante and apply pressure to the Cardinals bullpen.

It bent, but the lead didn’t break.

Reliever Phil Maton pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and closer Ryan Helsley pitched around a solo homer in the ninth to hold on tight for an 8-5 victory Saturday at American Family Field. The win, supported with homers from Gorman and Willson Contreras, stanched the Cardinals’ losing streak at six.

In the eighth inning, the Brewers loaded the bases against Maton only to watch the veteran carve through the top of their order with his curveball. After a hit batter and a walk by Maton brought the go-ahead run to the plate, the right-hander struck out Frelick and Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee’s top two hitters. Frelick watched a curveball bend back over the plate, and when Maton put a fastball at the same eye level as the curve Frelick swung only to learn that fastball wasn’t breaking over the plate like the curve.

Chourio saw three curveballs, and the third broke away from him and his swing for the strikeout that ended the inning with three Brewers marooned.

The brothers Contreras both homered in the ninth inning. Milwaukee’s William Contreras led off the inning with a solo shot against Helsley. The closer touched 102.4 mph as he regained a grip on the inning, pitched around a two-out single, and iced the win.

Cards build big, brief lead

Moved up to the leadoff spot to face lefty Jose Quintana and give Lars Nootbaar a break from his deep slump, Masyn Winn began the game with a flare single to right.

Two batters later he scored, and the Cardinals were off and running.

Limited to two runs in the first 18 innings of the series in Milwaukee — the Cardinals had gone 20 innings without scoring until mid-evening Friday. They took a 1-0 lead on Alec Burleson’s RBI single in the first and then stacked on the runs in the middle innings. The climax of a three-run fourth was Victor Scott II’s two-run single to score teammates Gorman and Jordan Walker. Nolan Arenado had scored on an error earlier in the inning.

In the fifth, Gorman’s blast created a six-run lead.

A bruise, then a blast

Tensions were simmering throughout the game with the Cardinals’ dugout exchanging opinions with home-plate umpire Vic Carapazza at least in the early innings, and the Brewers’ dugout chirping toward first baseman Contreras in the third inning. What eventually happened in the top of the fifth inning seemed inevitable — but it came at a cost for the Brewers.

In the third inning, Brewers’ infielder Caleb Durbin and Contreras collided at first base when Contreras caught the ball for an out and stepped slightly back and into Durbin’s path.

The Brewers’ dugout took issue with Contreras’ move.

An inning later, Pallante plunked Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins with a pitch, and who was due up second in the next inning for the Cardinals? Contreras.

With one out, veteran lefty Quintana (4-2) threw low and well inside on Contreras to hit him. The ball caromed away and up the third-base line. Contreras gave chase, retrieved the ball, and delivered back to Quintana. He gave the lefty a knowing pat and took his base.

Retribution received.

The umpires issued a warning to both dugouts.

The deterrent followed.

Quintana walked Nolan Arenado to put two on base with one out ahead of Gorman. The Cardinals’ slugging second baseman — who is benefiting from more playing time recently due to injuries elsewhere on the roster — connected for a three-run homer that hoisted the Cardinals to a 7-1 lead. Gorman’s homer hit the scoreboard in center field and traveled an estimated 433 feet. The homer was his fourth of the season and it came on Quintana’s final pitch of the day.

Contreras also got his moment when he homered in the ninth inning and, as he rounded first and passed Hoskins, turned sideways on his trot, looked toward the Brewers’ dugout, and gave an enthusiastic celebration.

A first for Pallante

On his way to three no-hit innings the first time through Milwaukee’s lineup, Pallante did what he never had before in the majors.

The Cardinals’ right-hander, a year now into his reinvention as a starter, struck out the side in order in the second inning. He got Hoskins on a 91-mph slider. He struck out Isaac Collins on a 90.1-mph slider, and then Brice Turang went lunging after a breaking ball only to come up empty as a 79.2-mph knuckle curve tucked under his bat.

Pallante had never struck out the side in order before in the majors.

According to research down by Elias, Pallante got three outs on strikeouts in the same inning on April 6, but he faced seven batters in the inning. As a reliever in 2022 for the Cardinals, Pallante struck out three of four batters in an inning at Colorado. He had come in to replace Quintana when the two were teammates.

Pallante’s first career “struck out the side in order” came as part of four consecutive strikeouts and a binge of them early. Pallante struck out five of the first seven Brewers he faced. When he took a one-hitter through the fourth inning, he had seven strikeouts to tie a season-high he’s done twice previously.

Pallante collected a dozen swings and misses, and he did so in part because the average velocity on his fastball and slider were both up by at least 1.2 mph. Seven of the 12 swings and misses came on the slider, which averaged 88.7 mph.

Brewers bounce Pallante

The right-hander’s breeze through the Brewers’ lineup ended in the fourth when Chourio slipped a triple into the gap and scored on a passed ball.

Strikeouts got Pallante out of any trouble in that inning, and he reached the fifth in apparent control of the game. The offense had built a 7-1 lead, and Pallante had plenty of runway to invite contact, engage his defense, and carry the Cardinals to their first victory in a week.

He didn’t get far enough to qualify for said win.

The fifth went sideways on Pallante swiftly as the bottom of the Brewers’ order put a rally in motion. Turang singled and took second on a wild pitch. Durbin walked. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by No. 9 hitter Joey Ortiz. Leadoff hitter Frelick followed by crushing a two-run double, and then the game was back to Chourio. He laced a single to score Durbin and trim the Cardinals’ lead down to three runs, 7-4.

Chourio’s single was the fourth off Pallante and it came on his 84th and final pitch. Reliever Kyle Leahy (2-1) piloted out of the inning with Chourio on base to freeze Pallante’s line at 4 1/3 innings with four runs (three earned) on four hits. Ineligible for the win because he did not complete five innings, Pallante also left the victory up for grabs — and the bullpens to decide.

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