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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Sammy Sosa has won plenty of games with a home run. On Sunday, he lost one after a long run.
|  | | Edgar Renteria drops the tag on Sammy Sosa, who was thrown out by catcher Mike Matheny. |
Sosa's three-base error in right field allowed three runs to
score in the eighth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the
Chicago Cubs 4-2.
Sosa dropped Edgar Renteria's fly ball with the bases loaded and
two outs, giving St. Louis its seventh win in a row.
The Cardinals completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs for the
first time since 1963. St. Louis cut its magic number for clinching
the NL Central to two over Cincinnati.
"I ran like half a mile and when I got to the shadows I knew I
was in trouble," Sosa said. "There's no excuse, I take the
blame."
Chicago has lost five straight and 15 of 17.
Darryl Kile (19-9) won his fifth straight decision, allowing two
runs and six hits in eight innings. Matt Morris struck out three
for his third save.
"It took a fluky play and some grinding by our offense, but
that's what we needed to win," Kile said.
The Cardinals trailed 2-1 in the eighth when Tim Worrell (3-4)
struck out pinch-hitter Mark McGwire to start the inning. Later,
with runners on second and third and two outs, Fernando Tatis
received an intentional walk.
Renteria hit a fly toward the right-field corner, and Sosa
caught up to the ball after a long run. But the ball bounced off
the heel of his glove, and all three runners scored.
"The ball was tailing and it was really a tough play. I wish it
had been scored as a hit," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.
Cubs manager Don Baylor refused to blame Sosa.
"He ran a long way for the ball and it hit him in the glove.
It's just another way for us to lose," he said.
Cubs starter Kerry Wood, coming off his first complete game
since elbow surgery, allowed one run and two hits in six innings.
"He didn't have his best stuff, but he competed," Baylor said.
"He left the game with the lead and should have gotten the win."
Kile also praised Wood for a strong performance.
"We weren't doing anything off him and I felt bad when they got
the lead off me. He pitched a good game," Kile said.
Shane Andrews led off the seventh with a first-pitch home run
off Kile. Andrews' 15th homer gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals scored their only run off Wood in the second on a
sacrifice fly by Mike Matheny, with J.D. Drew striking out with two
runners on to end the inning. Wood struck out eight and walked six.
The Cubs tied it in the third on Augie Ojeda's second home run
of the year.
Game
notes
Cubs 1B Mark Grace needs two RBI for 1,000 in his career.
... Cubs 2B Eric Young, who has stolen 26 straight bases, has
stiffness in his right quadricep and did not play. ... Sosa, who
hit his 50th home run Saturday, was 1-for-4 and finished the series
3-for-16. ... Drew grounded into a double play in the fifth for
only the third time all year. ... Matheny threw out two runners
attempting to steal.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 5
Boston 4
Cleveland 15
NY Yankees 4
Oakland 0
Tampa Bay 0
Seattle 3
Baltimore 2
Toronto 14
Chi. White Sox 1
Minnesota 1
Anaheim 0
Texas 6
Kansas City 5
Cincinnati 8
Milwaukee 4
Montreal 5
NY Mets 0
Philadelphia 6
Florida 5
St. Louis 4
Chicago Cubs 2
Houston 5
Pittsburgh 3
San Francisco 5
San Diego 1
Los Angeles 12
Colorado 6
Atlanta 7
Arizona 1
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