ST. LOUIS - Chris Carpenter needed a pick-me-up in the worst way. A bullpen that just sat back and watched the last time the St. Louis Cardinals ace pitched was ready for extended duty.

Albert Pujols hit an RBI double off Yovani Gallardo during a four-run first inning and four St. Louis relievers combined for four perfect innings Wednesday night for a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and a 2-1 edge in the NL championship series.

Suddenly, the wild-card Cardinals are front-runners. And against the team that put them away early en route to the NL Central title.

"I think our ballclub, no matter leading or behind, it doesn't really matter to be honest with you," Carpenter said.

"We have battled for the last two months or however long it's been.

"We have nothing to lose."

The Brewers have lost eight in a row on the road in the postseason, a stretch that extends to Game 1 of the 1982 World Series in St. Louis on a shutout by Mike Caldwell. It's the longest current streak in the majors.

"I think regardless of whether we're winning or losing the series, we recognize what's at stake," Brewers star Ryan Braun said.

"We're going to prepare ourselves just like we've been doing and expect to win tomorrow and hopefully get off to a good start."

In a matchup of star pitchers, neither starter made it past the fifth inning. Gallardo tied an NLCS record with three wild pitches, while the one-run lead Carpenter handed over to the relievers was just enough to put the Cardinals ahead in the best-of-seven series.

It was a game played in a steady drizzle but with no squirrel sightings - at least not on the field. In the previous playoff game at Busch Stadium, a squirrel scampered across home plate while the Cardinals were hitting.

The careening critter quickly became a favorite in St. Louis as the Rally Squirrel. The Cardinals' marketing department capitalized, too, giving away 40,000 rally towels with a squirrel theme, telling fans to "Go Nuts" on the video board and dressing up someone in a squirrel costume to entertain the fans between innings.

Associated Press