Record Homers Power Cardinals

Every game it’s a tossup whether Rick Ankiel is a better hitter or pitcher.

The 20-year-old rookie led a three-homer surge that helped St. Louis set a major league record for April, and also threw seven scoreless innings as the Cardinals defeated the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, 7-0, Wednesday night.

Manager Tony La Russa is just as impressed about Ankiel’s stroke as he is his curveball.

He’s batting .500 with a double and triple in 12 at-bats with five runs batted in.

“He’d have a chance to make it as a hitter,” La Russa said. “His stance, his weight transfer, all the little absolutes, he’s got them.”

Ankiel (3-1) struck out four and walked three, exhibiting much better control than his last outing when he walked seven in five innings in a victory over the Padres.

Jim Edmonds and Fernando Tatis also connected as the Cardinals reached 50 homers in April, breaking the mark of 49 set by the 1997 Cleveland Indians. They have four games left this month to chase the record for homers in any month, 58 by the 1987 Baltimore Orioles.

Cincinnati 12, New York 1--Denny Neagle allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings to snap the Mets’ nine-game winning streak at New York.

Dmitri Young went four for five with a homer and five RBIs, and Ed Taubensee added three hits, a home run and three RBIs for Cincinnati.

Arizona 10, Philadelphia 4--Todd Stottlemyre, with his father Mel watching in the stands at Philadelphia, hit his first career home run and earned the win.

Luis Gonzalez and Erubiel Durazo each hit two-run homers for the Diamondbacks, who have beaten the Phillies five times in a row this season and 10 consecutive dating to last year.

Stottlemyre (4-1), in his 13th major league season, homered in his 216th at-bat.

Montreal 9, Colorado 2--Vladimir Guerrero hit his 100th career home run and raised his NL-leading average to .452, powering the Expos at Montreal.

Dustin Hermanson (3-1) allowed one run and three hits in seven innings. Ugueth Urbina got his sixth save.

Chicago 13, Houston 8--Ricky Gutierrez drove in a career-high five runs and Sammy Sosa hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning, leading the Cubs at Houston.

Sosa’s seventh home run put the Cubs ahead, 4-3. They went on to stop a four-game losing streak and send Houston to its seventh loss in 11 games.

Pittsburgh 9, San Diego 8--Brian Giles hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Pirates a victory at Pittsburgh.

San Francisco 8, Florida 7--Armando Rios hit a two-out RBI triple in the 12th inning as the Giants defeated the Marlins for their second extra-inning victory in a row at Miami and fifth consecutive win overall.