ST. LOUIS -- Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy said the Brewers aren't dwelling on their 2014 finish, when they went 9-17 in September to squander their National League Central title hopes.

But the 2015 season is starting much like last year ended for Milwaukee.

St. Louis Cardinals starter John Lackey tossed seven shutout innings and third baseman Matt Carpenter fueled two late rallies Thursday in a 4-0 win over the scuffling Brewers at Busch Stadium.

In falling to 2-7, Milwaukee was blanked for the second time. It has scored just 23 runs during the young season, batting only .219 with runners in scoring position.

"We've got too many guys with too good a track record," Lucroy said. "Our batting average with runners in scoring position is terrible right now. We've got to do something to figure that out soon."

While the Brewers went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, stranding men at first and second in the third, fourth and fifth innings, St. Louis (5-3) cashed in on its chances during the last three innings to break a scoreless tie.

After Carpenter led off the sixth with a double, left fielder Matt Holliday grounded a one-out single up the middle for the first run. Two batters later, first baseman Mark Reynolds rifled an RBI double to the wall in left-center field for a 2-0 lead.

"We did make some loud outs (early), but fortunately, we were able to put together some rallies late," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Sometimes, you can do that and it's the seventh inning, and the pitcher's still standing out there and you've done nothing with him."

Milwaukee pitcher Mike Fiers (0-2) wasn't standing after Reynolds' double, getting the hook after 5 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and two runs with a walk and four strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Lackey (1-0) retired the last seven batters he faced to cap an outstanding outing. The veteran right-hander gave up five hits, walked one and whiffed eight. He had a strikeout in every inning.

"I thought that I had a good mix of pitches throughout," Lackey said. "The biggest thing was I threw quality strikes. There's a difference between throwing strikes and throwing quality strikes."

Carpenter, who notched his fourth straight multiple-hit game, made it 3-0 in the seventh with a two-out RBI double off reliever Will Smith that scored second baseman Kolten Wong. Catcher Yadier Molina capped the scoring in the eighth, lining a two-out single to score left fielder Randal Grichuk.

St. Louis finished with 11 hits, going 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

"When you play every day, you're going to get into a rhythm at the plate," said Molina, alluding to the team's four off-days in the season's first 12 days.

Holliday, Reynolds and Molina joined Carpenter with two hits each for the Cardinals, who have scored at least four runs in the last six games to complement a pitching staff that has posted a 2.13 ERA so far.

As for the Brewers, they're still trying to figure out why they're off to such a rocky start.

"I think about spring training, when we were swinging it and everyone was doing so well," Lucroy said. "I don't tie anything into last September. I'm not thinking about last year at all." NOTES: Milwaukee CF Carlos Gomez, who suffered a hamstring injury in the ninth inning Wednesday, returned to Milwaukee for further examination and could wind up on the disabled list. ... St. Louis 3B Matt Carpenter's four-RBI game Sunday at Cincinnati was the first for a Cardinals leadoff man since Rafael Furcal did it on Aug. 3, 2011, against Milwaukee. ... St. Louis LF Matt Holliday entered the game with a .455 on-base percentage, seventh in the National League.