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Thursday, Sep. 14 8:10pm ET
Hentgen fires first shutout in over 3 years | |||||
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The closer the St. Louis Cardinals get to the postseason, the better Pat Hentgen gets. Hentgen (15-10) pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout in more than three years in a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. He struck out a season-high nine and walked none for his 10th career shutout, and first since June 20, 1997 against Baltimore. "I just think he's a big-game guy," catcher Mike Matheny said. "Things are real exciting around here and I think he's the kind of guy who just swells up and comes up with a little better stuff." Hentgen (15-10) won for the fifth time in six decisions. He allowed singles by Shane Andrews in the second and seventh innings and a leadoff double by Ricky Gutierrez in the fourth. He has 31 complete games, the last coming Aug. 12, 1999 in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota. "Hentgen was fabulous," said the Cubs' Mark Grace. "Our guy threw pretty good, but if he didn't throw a shutout he wasn't going to win." Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is considering a three-man rotation for the playoffs, and for a long time Hentgen was likely the odd man out behind Darryl Kile, Garrett Stephenson and Andy Benes. Hentgen, who gave the Cardinals three 15-game winners for the first time since 1985, doesn't appear to care. "I have no control over that," he said. "Tony's going to make that decision, and when I'm asked to pitch, I'm going to go out and try my best." J.D. Drew and Craig Paquette homered for the Cardinals, who won their fourth straight and opened a season-high, 11-game lead. St. Louis, which last won the division in 1996, reduced its magic number to five over second-place Cincinnati. "I think guys smell it," Hentgen said. "They know." Ruben Quevedo (2-9) gave up all four runs -- three earned -- and five hits in six innings. It was a major improvement over his previous two outings -- he allowed 13 runs in five innings. "I thought it was one of the better games he's pitched," manager Don Baylor said. "He had a blister and he got through it. He kept us in the game." Drew's homer with two outs in the fifth was the 200th at Busch Stadium this season, a high for the 34-year-old park. The previous high was 196 in 1998, the year Mark McGwire hit a record 70 homers. McGwire, who was listed as a starter in all six of the Cardinals' game on the just-completed trip just so he could bat in the first inning, did not play. Sammy Sosa was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts as the Cubs lost for the 12th time in 15 games. Sosa is 2-for-26 against St. Louis this year with a pair of homers. This was the Cubs' first game in St. Louis since April 3-6, when the Cardinals had a three-game sweep and outscored them 30-8 with nine homers. St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Placido Polanco and a run-scoring error by Andrews at third. After Drew's homer, Paquette homered in the sixth. Game notesThe Cardinals are a season-high 25 games above .500. ... The game was played with a three-man umpiring crew minus Mark Wegner, scheduled to work second base. Wegner missed the game for personal reasons. ... Dennis DeYoung, the former front man of one of Tony LaRussa's favorite bands, Styx, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Cardinals LF Ray Lankford missed the game with a slightly injured right hamstring and may be out until Sunday. "It just grabbed a little on me," Lankford said. ... Cubs 2B Eric Young left after the top of the fourth with tightness in his right quadriceps. ... The crowd of 41,493 was the Cardinals' 29th sellout. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Chicago Cubs Clubhouse St. Louis Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 7 Cleveland 4
St. Louis 4
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