Advertisement

Cardinals Squeeze Past the Cubs, 2-1

Share
From Associated Press

David Eckstein’s 11th-inning squeeze bunt gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night at St. Louis.

Pinch-hitter John Mabry led off the 11th with a triple off Sergio Mitre (2-5). With one out, Eckstein bunted in front of the plate on a 1-1 count and pinch-runner Hector Luna scored without a play.

The Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter, trying to become a 15-game winner, gave up one run and eight hits in nine innings. In his last seven starts, he is 6-0 and has yielded three runs in 59 2/3 innings for an 0.50 earned-run average.

Advertisement

The Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano gave up one run and three hits, struck out 12 and walked none in nine innings. He retired his last 15 batters after a leadoff single by Mark Grudzielanek in the fifth.

*

Philadelphia 8, San Diego 6 -- Chase Utley hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning. Mark Loretta and Brian Giles hit consecutive homers and Geoff Blum also homered for the Padres, who lost their fifth in a row despite overcoming two three-run deficits.

*

San Francisco 8, Florida 5 -- Pedro Feliz homered and drove in three runs at San Francisco to help the Giants beat the Marlins and Dontrelle Willis. The Marlins lost for the eighth time in their last 11 games. Willis (13-6) lasted a season-low three innings, giving up seven runs and six hits. .

*

Cincinnati 11, Milwaukee 6 -- Ken Griffey Jr. tied Mickey Mantle on the career RBI list, and Adam Dunn drove in three runs with two homers at Cincinnati. Griffey’s run-scoring single in the seventh inning moved him into a tie with Mantle for 42nd on the RBI list with 1,509.

*

Houston 14, Washington 1 -- Roger Clemens matched his season high with 10 strikeouts over six shutout innings, and Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane and Mike Lamb each drove in three runs at Washington. Clemens (8-4) lowered his major league-best ERA to 1.40.

*

Colorado 5, Pittsburgh 3 -- Todd Helton hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the 10th inning off Jose Mesa after the Pirates had tied it in the ninth, and the Rockies earned a rare win on the road. They are 10-38 away from Coors Field.

Advertisement

*

Arizona 6, Atlanta 5 -- Alex Cintron homered leading off the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Diamondbacks. Cintron hit the third pitch from Atlanta reliever Jim Brower (3-3) into the right-field bullpen.

Advertisement