Rolen drives in winning run for in-form Cardinals
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Scott Rolen drove in the winning run
in the 10th inning to lift the streaking St. Louis Cardinals to
a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
It was a season-high sixth straight win for the Cardinals
(51-39), who remained four games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds
in the NL Central.
Rolen lofted a single into left field, scoring David
Eckstein with the game-winning run.
“It wasn’t exactly what I drew up on deck,” Rolen told
reporters. “But it was effective. I thought I hit it soft
enough so it would drop in.”
Albert Pujols hit his NL-leading 31st home run of the
season for the Cardinals and Jeff Suppan pitched seven strong
innings before Braden Looper came on to pick up his third
victory in three appearances.
Suppan allowed one run on five hits while striking out six
and walking two. Adam Wainwright came on to pitch a scoreless
eighth before Looper pitched two scoreless innings for the
victory.
Looper (6-1) did not allow a hit and struck out two and
walked one, continuing his hot streak after a disappointing
start to the season following shoulder injury.
J.D. Drew opened the scoring for the Dodgers with an RBI
double in the first off Suppan, but that was it for the offense
until Pujols drove a homer to deep center field off Mark
Hendrickson in the sixth to tie the game.
Hendrickson pitched 6 2/3 innings, also allowing one run on
five hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Jonathan Broxton
relieved him and got four outs without allowing a run before
Danys Baez came on in the ninth.
Baez (5-5) allowed the winning run on three hits over 1 2/3
innings to take the loss.
The Dodgers have lost the first three games of the series,
including a 14-inning marathon series opener and a 5-0 defeat
in Friday’s night’s game.
WOUND UP
Pujols wound up with two hits and walked twice to pace the
Cardinals eight-hit attack, lifting his average to .320 and
driving in his 79th run of the season.
Drew had three hits for the Dodgers, who managed just six
hits off the three Card pitchers in the game.
In San Francisco, Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard homered as
the Philadelphia Phillies hammered the Giants 14-6.
Burrell went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs while hitting
his 20th homer of the season, while Howard’s 30th home run of
the year was a two-run shot to add to the Phillies 18-hit
attack.
David Bell added three hits and an RBI for Philadelphia
while Shane Victorino drove in a pair of runs.
Cory Lidle (6-7) was the winner, allowing five runs — four
earned — on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out two
and walking four.
Noah Lowry (4-6) gave up six runs on six hits over 3 2/3
innings with three strikeouts and three walks and was the
loser.
Moises Alou hit a two-run homer for San Francisco and Pedro
Feliz had three hits and drove in a run.
(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)