Hernandez Fits Right In With Cardinals

After the St. Louis Cardinals climbed back from a six-run deficit to tie the score, Carlos Hernandez figured his job was easy.

Hernandez’s run-scoring single in the ninth capped the comeback in a 7-6 victory Friday night over the Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis.

“I had a feeling,” said Hernandez, who is seven for 24 with four runs batted in since joining the Cardinals. “When we tied this game, I knew we were going to take it. It’s a great attitude we’ve got.”

Philadelphia, which has lost five straight, led 6-0 in the sixth. Phillie pitchers walked 12, including six in five shutout innings by starter Robert Person, and relievers walked two batters with the bases loaded in a three-run seventh.

J.D. Drew, who walked his first four times up, tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run single in the eighth off Vicente Padilla. His hit, which followed a fielding error by third baseman Scott Rolen and a walk, was the first by the Cardinals in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Chris Brock (6-6) walked Ray Lankford with one out in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Eric Davis singled and Hernandez hit an 0-2 pitch over left fielder Kevin Sefcik, who was playing in.

Arizona 11, Chicago 2--Steve Finley, Greg Colbrunn and Tony Womack homered in Arizona’s six-run second inning and Curt Schilling threw a six-hitter as the Diamondbacks won their fifth consecutive game at Phoenix.

Schilling (10-7) improved to 4-1 since the trade that brought him from Philadelphia. Three of the victories have been complete games. Schilling, who has a major league-high seven complete games this season, is 9-3 in his last 13 starts. He struck out 10 and had no walks.

Sammy Sosa hit his major league-leading 39th and 40th home runs of the season. It was his 43rd multiple homer game, 42nd with the Cubs to tie Ernie Banks’ club record. He has four multihomer games this season.

Danny Bautista had a three-run triple as Arizona got to right-hander Ruben Quevedo (1-5) for nine runs in the first three innings.

Florida 9, Colorado 8--Todd Helton went three for five to improve to .399, but Mark Kotsay’s three hits and Ramon Castro’s three-run homer carried the Marlins at Denver.

Kotsay, three for five with a solo homer and three runs scored, is 22 for 61 over his last 17 games. Derrek Lee had three hits and an RBI and Henry Rodriguez added a two-run homer for the Marlins, who have won three of four.

Chuck Smith (2-4) worked six innings, allowing five runs and 13 hits, and drove in his first run with a single to win for the first time in four starts.

Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 3--Jason Kendall had three hits and Dante Bichette let in the Pirates’ go-ahead run with a fielding error in the eighth inning at Cincinnati.

The Reds (59-61) lost their fourth consecutive game, scoring only eight runs during a slump that has dropped them below .500 and widened their gap with first-place St. Louis to 7 1/2 games in the NL Central.

Ken Griffey Jr. drove in Cincinnati’s three runs off Todd Ritchie (6-6) with a sacrifice fly, a solo homer and a groundout. Ritchie gave up five hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Houston 5, Milwaukee 4--Wade Miller took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and Roger Cedeno had three hits and two steals in his first game back from the disabled list at Houston.

Geoff Jenkins’ leadoff homer in the seventh, a drive off the right-field foul pole screen, was the first hit off Miller (2-4).

In all, Miller gave up two runs and three hits in six-plus innings. winning for the first time in five starts since July 22. He retired 11 in a row from the second through the fifth innings.

Montreal 6, San Diego 3--Mike Thurman pitched into the eighth inning for only the second time this season, and the Expos stopped a seven-game losing streak by winning at San Diego.

Thurman (3-3) allowed five hits, walked four and struck out one, while getting help from four double plays.