ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Iván Herrera hit a two-run homer, José Fermín drove in three runs and the St. Louis Cardinals delayed the Milwaukee Brewers’ division-clinching celebration with a 5-1 victory on Sunday evening at Busch Stadium.

Despite being held to just three hits, the Cardinals capitalized on timely hitting and a strong pitching performance from starter Matthew Liberatore and three relievers. The Brewers, who out-hit St. Louis 7-3, missed a chance to secure the NL Central title and must now await the outcome of the Chicago Cubs’ game in Cincinnati.

The game was a pitcher’s duel through the first two innings before St. Louis broke through in the third. After a walk to Victor Scott II, Herrera launched a fly ball to left-center field for his 17th home run of the season, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

St. Louis added to its advantage an inning later. Walks to Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman set the stage for Fermín, who doubled down the left-field line to clear the bases and extend the lead to 4-0.

Milwaukee managed its only run in the top of the fifth. Joey Ortiz tripled to right field and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Chourio, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

The Cardinals added an insurance run in the eighth without a hit. Herrera walked, moved to third on a single by Alec Burleson and a sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Fermín.

Liberatore (8-12) earned the win, striking out six over five innings while allowing one run on five hits. The St. Louis bullpen combination of Matt Svanson, Ryan Fernandez and Riley O’Brien shut down the Brewers over the final four innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four.

Brewers starter Robert Gasser (0-1) took the loss, surrendering two runs on one hit and two walks in three innings of work. Erick Fedde, who followed Gasser, was charged with three runs over four innings.

The game, played in 2 hours and 28 minutes, was witnessed by a crowd of 32,723. The result improved the Cardinals to 76-80 on the season, while the Brewers fell to 95-61. Milwaukee begins a three-game series in San Diego on Monday, while St. Louis travels to San Francisco.