Cardinals Prove Too Much Again for the Padres

After a nine-year absence from the National League playoffs, the St. Louis Cardinals are doing everything right.

Tom Pagnozzi, who played on the 1987 World Series team, had the key hit in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday. His eighth-inning liner off the glove of reliever Trevor Hoffman ended up as a groundout, but it drove in the winning run as the Cardinals took a 2-0 series lead before a record Busch Stadium crowd of 56,752.

The Cardinals can eliminate the Padres in Game 3 Saturday in San Diego as Donovan Osborne (13-9) opposes Andy Ashby (9-5). But they know it won’t be easy: They lost 15 straight games at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium before winning four of six this season.

“I’m glad we don’t have to go out there and win two,” Pagnozzi said. “We haven’t played well out there, plain and simple.”

The Padres were in a similar situation the last time they made the postseason. In 1984, San Diego rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Chicago Cubs and advance to the World Series.

“I’d love to see a flashback of 1984, but the Cardinals are a good club,” Tony Gwynn said. “They’re going to be tough.”

St. Louis had blown a 4-1 lead, allowing San Diego to tie it in the eighth on Steve Finley’s RBI groundout.

Brian Jordan drew a leadoff walk in the eighth off Doug Bochtler and advanced on a groundout before John Mabry, who hadn’t hit the ball out of the infield in six playoff at-bats, was intentionally walked.

Bochtler’s wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, and Pagnozzi lined a 1-1 pitch just to the left of Hoffman, who got the tip of his glove on the ball but couldn’t catch it. The ball caromed to second baseman Jody Reed, who threw to first as Jordan scored.

Hoffman said everything happened too fast.

“I thought it was a screaming mimi coming back at me,” Hoffman said. “It was like waking up running in a dream and you’re not going anywhere.”

Dennis Eckersley, who turned 42 Thursday, pitched a perfect ninth for his second save of the series and the 13th of his postseason career. Eckersley retired pinch-hitter Greg Vaughn on a grounder to third for the final out, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

“I’ll tell you what, you don’t feel 42 when the crowd is electric like that,” Eckersley said. “I mean, it’s humming out there. I’m just glad I have enough experience not to get too psyched.”

Ron Gant had a three-run double in the fifth, giving St. Louis a 4-1 lead.

Ken Caminiti, who struck out three times in Game 1, homered--his first fair ball of the series--for San Diego.

The Cardinals loaded the bases in the fifth on one-out singles by starter Andy Benes and Ozzie Smith and a walk to McGee that chased Padre starter Scott Sanders. Gant, in the postseason each of his last five seasons, then hit a 2-2 pitch from Dario Veras over center fielder Steve Finely’s head, to clear the bases.

Benes, who played his first seven seasons in San Diego, took control early. He retired the first 12 batters, striking out six, before Caminiti led off the fifth with his homer.

Benes struck out nine, one short of his season high, and allowed four runs on six hits. He tired in the eighth, leaving after allowing a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Scott Livingstone and a walk to Rickey Henderson. NL batting champion Tony Gwynn, facing Rick Honeycutt, sacrificed the runners and Finley’s grounder to first tied it.

Benes’ bat also was important in the early going. A .151 batter in the regular season, his two-strike sacrifice bunt in the third advanced Luis Alicea to second. Willie McGee hit a one-out RBI single. Later, his base hit ignited the Cardinals’ three-run fifth.

“I felt like Scott threw a pretty good slider, but I was looking for it and hit it off the end of the bat and it happened to find a hole,” Benes said.

Sanders, making his first career playoff start, lasted 4 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs and three hits. He settled down some after throwing six straight balls to open the game, but two of the four batters he walked ended up scoring.

The Padres turned consecutive singles by pinch hitter Chris Gwynn, Rickey Henderson and Tony Gwynn into two runs in the sixth. Center fielder McGee threw wildly to third on Gwynn’s RBI single, trying to catch Henderson at third, to allow the second run to score.