MILWAUKEE (AP) – Jeff Suppan outdueled Ben Sheets and the St. Louis Cardinals swept another three-game series at Miller Park this season, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 Wednesday.

Suppan (11-8) allowed four hits and four walks over seven innings as the Cardinals improved to 10-3 against Milwaukee this year.

Jason Isringhausen closed out St. Louis’ eighth straight win at Miller Park, including six this year. The Cardinals also swept three at Milwaukee in April.

Sheets (8-8) gave up two earned runs and five hits in his second complete game of the season. He struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter.

Sheets made just two mistakes, and both came against David Eckstein. The Cardinals’ leadoff man opened the game with a double, took third on John Rodriguez’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a squeeze bunt by So Taguchi.

Sheets retired 19 straight batters before Taguchi hit a single with one out in the seventh. Eckstein added a two-run double off Sheets in the eighth.

In the bottom of the seventh, Milwaukee manager Ned Yost chose not to pinch-hit for Sheets with runners at first and third and one out. Trailing 1-0, Bill Hall led off with a double and took third on Damian Miller’s groundout.

After J.J. Hardy walked on a full count, Sheets – who was 0-for-36 this season – put down a sacrifice bunt that moved the runner to second but couldn’t bring in Hall. Chris Magruder ended the inning with a flyout.

The Cardinals got to Sheets in the eighth with one-out singles by Scott Seabol and Einar Diaz, and left fielder Carlos Lee’s throwing error put runners at second and third. Sheets struck out pinch-hitter John Mabry, but Eckstein’s second double off Sheets made it 3-0.

Isringhausen pitched the ninth for his 31st save in 34 chances.

Suppan escaped both jams he got into. The Brewers put runners at the corners in the first, but Geoff Jenkins’ comebacker bounced off Suppan and went right to third baseman Abraham Nunez, whose throw to first was barely in time.

The Brewers put two runners on again in the sixth when Rickie Weeks and Lyle Overbay reached on infield singles, but Jenkins grounded out.

Milwaukee’s Brady Clark left the game after bruising his right rib cage trying to break up a double play in the third inning. Clark slid hard into second baseman Hector Luna and both stayed down for a minute. Luna, whose right ankle bent awkwardly on the play, stayed in the game.

Notes: Clark, who leads the NL with 45 multihit games and ranks second with 147 hits, was replaced by Magruder. The team said Clark was day-to-day. … The Cardinals optioned rookie RHP Anthony Reyes back to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday just hours after his successful major league debut, a 5-2 win over the Brewers. The Cardinals also recalled outfielder Skip Schumaker from Memphis, where he was batting .296.

AP-ES-08-10-05 1639EDT

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