| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
PHOENIX (AP) -- One word sums up the Arizona Diamondbacks'
reaction to their bullpen holding a lead: Finally!
"The last week or week-and-a-half we've been struggling," Matt
Mantei said after pitching a perfect ninth inning to preserve a 4-3
win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night. "We really
needed something like this."
Erubiel Durazo accounted for Arizona's last three runs with a
two-run double and some strong baserunning.
|  | | Arizona's Erubiel Durazo scores on a throwing error by Cardinals shortstop Edgar Renteria in the fourth inning. |
Ray Lankford hit an RBI double in his return to the Cardinals'
lineup. He left the team after his 19-year-old brother was shot to
death Saturday night in the Los Angeles area.
"It's tough," Lankford said. "I just figured that I want to
get back to work for a couple of days. After that, I'm going to go
back to L.A. for a while."
Armando Reynoso (7-6) gave up three runs in five-plus innings.
Arizona relievers, who have lost a team-record six straight
decisions, protected the lead by retiring the last 12 batters.
But manager Buck Showalter came up short of giving the bullpen a
vote of confidence.
"I have a long memory, sometimes to a fault," Showalter said.
"Certainly, you remember the guys who've done it before, and just
because it worked tonight doesn't mean it'll work out tomorrow.
It's an ebb-and-flow game."
The Cardinals scored three times in the sixth to close to 4-3.
After consecutive singles by Edgar Renteria, Jim Edmonds and
Fernando Tatis produced one run, Lankford's double chased Reynoso.
Russ Springer relieved and gave up an RBI groundout to Craig
Paquette but retired the three batters he faced.
Greg Swindell pitched a perfect seventh and eighth, and Mantei
finished up for his and the team's first save since July 9. It was
his fifth overall.
Paquette's grounder with no outs and two aboard went to
shortstop Tony Womack, and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa thought
that was a key in the loss.
"We missed a chance tonight," La Russa said. "Paquette was
trying to get that ball to the right side, get one in, get one over
and the next guy hit a sacrifice fly. In a close game like that,
you can't miss an execution like that."
The victory was only Arizona's fourth in the last 10 games.
Garrett Stephenson (10-6), who threw a six-hit shutout against
the Diamondbacks on May 29, gave up four runs on seven hits and two
walks over six innings.
The Diamondbacks never trailed, taking a 1-0 lead in the first
on a sacrifice fly by Luis Gonzalez and padding their lead with
three runs in the fourth.
Matt Williams singled up the middle to lead off and Steve Finley
and Durazo followed with doubles.
After an out, Damian Miller got an infield single, and Durazo
scored on the play on Renteria's throwing error from shortstop.
There was a play at the plate, but the 225-pound Durazo hustled in
for the score.
"I was trying to play hard, and everybody tries to do that,"
Durazo said. "We made some runs and won the game. That's what we
need."
Game notes
Stephenson is 1-1 in four career games vs. Arizona. ...
When Reynoso struck out Paquette in the second inning, Arizona
became the second team (after Cleveland) to strike out 700. ...
Arizona's Tony Womack has six bunt singles in the last 10 games.
... Arizona has lost three straight home series for the first time
since Aug. 15-25, 1998, and needs to sweep the two-game set with
St. Louis to avoid its first below-.500 homestand since April.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 10
Cleveland 5
NY Yankees 9
Detroit 1
Toronto 5
Tampa Bay 2
Boston 0
Baltimore 0
Chi. White Sox 3
Minnesota 2
Texas 3
Anaheim 2
Seattle 6
Oakland 3
Atlanta 0
Florida 0
NY Mets 5
Montreal 3
Chicago Cubs 5
Philadelphia 4
Cincinnati 4
Houston 0
Milwaukee 6
Pittsburgh 0
Arizona 4
St. Louis 3
Los Angeles 9
Colorado 1
San Diego 4
San Francisco 3
|
