Cardinals complete sweep over Padres with 7-4 win

NEW YORK (Reuters) – David Eckstein hit a two-run homer to
key a four-run second inning as the St. Louis Cardinals cruised
to a 7-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday, earning a
return trip to the National League Championship Series

(NLCS).

The victory gave the Cardinals a 3-0 sweep of the
best-of-five division series and sent them back to the NLCS for
the second consecutive year. They will take on either the
Houston Astros or Atlanta Braves starting on Wednesday at Busch
Stadium in St. Louis.

The Astros lead their series 2-1 after a 7-3 win on
Saturday and have a chance to advance on Sunday when the two
teams play again in Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

After falling behind 8-0 in their series opener and 4-0 in
Game Two, the Padres were hoping a return home to Petco Park
for Game Three would result in a better start.

For the third straight game, however, the Padres fell into
an early hole, trailing 7-0 after five innings, and could not
dig themselves out. They finished the series without ever
having held a lead.

San Diego starter Woody Williams, who pitched last season
for the Cardinals, was hammered for five runs on six hits by
his former team mates before being chased from the game after
just 1-2/3 innings.

The Cardinals added two more runs in the fifth then
withstood a Padres comeback bid that included solo home runs
from Ramon Hernandez and Dave Roberts.

Having trimmed the deficit to 7-4 entering the bottom of
the ninth, the Padres brought the crowd to their feet putting
two men on with one out.

But closer Jason Isringhausen worked out of the jam,
striking out Brian Giles then getting Ryan Klesko on a soft
comebacker to earn the save and clinch the win.

“They fought to the last out, we had to keep the pressure
on them,” said Cardinals’ Reggie Sanders, who set an NLDS
record with 10 runs batted in. “When you have a good team like
that and momentum shifts it’s important to close them out.

“We’re just glad it’s over. We have a big series coming up
next and we’re going to take some time off and get ourselves
ready.”

Matt Morris provided the Cardinals with six solid innings,
taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Padres bats
finally woke from their slumber with Eric Young and Mark
Loretta both stroking RBI singles to cut the St Louis lead to
7-2.

The big right-hander earned the win, allowing two runs on
five hits while striking out four and walking three.

Albert Pujols opened the scoring with an RBI double in the
first inning but the Cardinals inflicted most of the damage in
a four-run second.

After Eckstein drove his first postseason homer over the
wall in deep left, Sanders stepped to the plate and lined a two
out bases-loaded double to left scoring Pujols and Jim Edmonds.

In the fifth, Yadier Molina singled to right bringing
across Mark Grudzielanek and Abraham Nunez to push the
Cardinals in front 7-0.