St. Louis, MO -- (Sports Network) - Ryan Braun clubbed a two-run homer with one out in the top of the ninth inning to lift the surging Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and complete their first-ever four-game sweep in the Gateway City.

Ryan Franklin, who came on in the eighth for St. Louis, fanned Ray Durham to begin the ninth, then served up a single to J.J. Hardy before Braun drove an 0-1 fastball over the wall in left-center for his 26th home run of the season. Prince Fielder followed with a double, but Franklin retired Corey Hart and Bill Hall to end the inning.

Salomon Torres struck out the side in the bottom half to notch his 19th save.

Braun finished 4-for-4 with a walk for the red-hot Brewers, who have won eight games in a row. Hardy was 3-for-5 and scored twice, while Fielder went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored.

Ben Sheets gave up three runs -- two earned -- on four hits in seven innings for Milwaukee, which remains a game back of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. The comeback made a winner out of Eric Gagne (3-2), who tossed a scoreless eighth.

Rick Ankiel and Albert Pujols knocked in the runs for the Cardinals, whose four-game slide comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak. Skip Schumaker had two hits and scored a run.

St. Louis starter Todd Wellemeyer went five innings, surrendering two runs on five hits while walking five. Franklin (3-4) was charged with his fifth blown save. The loss dropped the Cardinals four games behind the Cubs.

The Cardinals quickly got on the board in the opening frame. Schumaker had a lead-off single and later swiped second before scoring on a two-out single from Ankiel.

In the third, Adam Kennedy walked to begin the frame, moved to third on an Aaron Miles double and came home on Pujols' sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Milwaukee answered with a run in the top of the fourth. After Braun drew a lead-off walk and Fielder ripped a base hit past the glove of Pujols, Wellemeyer induced a 5-3 double play from Hart. The right-hander then had difficulty locating the strike zone and walked three consecutive batters to force in a run, though, St. Louis countered in the home half.

Ryan Ludwick worked a one-out walk and, after Jason LaRue went down swinging, Wellemeyer lined a single that Hart misplayed in right, allowing Ludwick to race all the way home and Wellemeyer to move up to third, where he was stranded after Kennedy lined out softly to center.

The Brewers loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on singles by Hardy, Braun and a walk to Fielder. Hart then grounded into a fielder's choice to make it a 3-2 game.

Hart grounded into another twin-killing to wipe out a Milwaukee rally in the seventh.

Game Notes

The Brewers have homered in 20 straight games, breaking the franchise record set from June 11-30, 1996....With the win, Milwaukee completed its longest undefeated road trip in club history (7-0)...The Brewers hold a 9-4 advantage in the 2008 season series...Milwaukee left 11 men on base, while the Cardinals stranded four.