Fielder's first home run helps Brewers over Cardinals 5-3

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks turns the double play as St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols (5) is out at second to end the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 17, 2008, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS—Prince Fielder hit his first home run of the season, a two-run drive off Brad Thompson in the 10th inning that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

Fielder, who led the NL with 50 homers last year, needed 54 at-bats to connect for the first time this year. He also tied the score with a bloop RBI double that capped a three-run, eighth-inning rally against Kyle Lohse and two relievers.

Milwaukee trailed 3-0 and was in danger of getting swept in the three-game series before the comeback against Lohse, who extended his scoreless streak at home to 19 innings before getting into trouble in the eighth.

The Brewers, who had three hits through the first seven innings, tied it when pinch-hitter Hernan Iribarren chased Lohse with an RBI double, Ryan Braun hit a sacrifice fly off Ryan Franklin and Fielder had an opposite-field double against Randy Flores on a ball that barely eluded Skip Schumaker's attempt for a diving catch.

Braun, batting .228 coming in, beat out an infield hit starting the 10th against Thompson (1-1), who made his second relief appearance after two starts. Fielder homered to right on a 1-2 pitch.

Pinch-hitter Chris Duncan grounded out with two on against Brian Shouse (1-0) for the last out in the ninth. Eric Gagne got into trouble in the 10th when Ryan Ludwick doubled leading off and Yadier Molina walked, but he got his fourth save in six chances when Aaron Miles flied out, Rico Washington struck out and Cesar Izturis fouled out.

Ludwick was 4-for-5, his first career four-hit game, and homered in his fourth straight start for the Cardinals, who had won seven in a row at home.

Lohse's two-run, bases-loaded single through a drawn-in infield gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Cardinals pitchers have seven RBIs, including a homer by Adam Wainwright on Wednesday.