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Tuesday, Sep. 26 10:05pm ET
Cards still vying for home-field edge | |||||
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GAME LOG
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- If Andy Benes pitches the way he did Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals could prove tough in the NL playoffs. Benes, making just his second start this month since returning from the disabled list, pitched a solid six innings in the Cardinals' 7-1 victory over the San Diego Padres. Benes (11-9), who came off the DL on Sept. 3, limited his former team to one run on five hits. St. Louis trails Atlanta by two games and San Francisco by one in the race for the NL's best record and home field advantage in the playoffs. "It would be nice to have home field (advantage)," said Benes, who won for the first time since July 13, a span of eight starts and two relief appearances. "We made the plays and I felt comfortable," Benes added. "I felt a lot better out there." Edgar Renteria drove in three runs with a pair of doubles, Jim Edmonds hit a two-run homer and former Padre Carlos Hernandez added two RBIs. Although Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa has not yet decided on his playoff pitching rotation, he knows a healthy Benes could make a difference. "He had quality location, it was sharp," La Russa said. "He threw a lot of good pitches; that was important for him." St. Louis won for just the second time in five games since clinching the Central Division title on Sept. 20. "We're just looking to finish out the season strong," Edmonds said. "If we can get home-field advantage, great." Benes' performance was a big improvement over his last outing when he allowed five runs in five innings against Houston on Thursday in his first start since coming off the disabled list. "This was an important game for us and for me," Benes said. "It showed me I have good enough stuff right now." San Diego lost its third straight game, scoring just two runs in that span. "It's hard to win games when you don't score runs," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's up to us to get this thing turned around. We don't want to finish like this." Adam Eaton (6-4) lasted only five innings as he gave up four runs and eight hits. Renteria doubled in a run as the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the second, and added a two-run double in the eighth. Edmonds hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Eaton to increase St. Louis' lead to 4-0. Edmonds' career-high 42nd home run followed a leadoff walk to J.D. Drew. Mark McGwire pinch hit in the eighth inning and was hit by Heathcliff Slocumb. The Padres hit three St. Louis batters. Desi Relaford cut the lead to 4-1 in the sixth when he singled in Ruben Rivera, who doubled leading off the inning. But the Cardinals scored three runs in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Renteria and Hernandez. Game notesBenes is 7-2 in 13 games against San Diego, including a five-game winning streak. ... Padres LF Eric Owens left the game in the sixth inning after apparently spraining his left ankle during an at-bat in the third. Owens fell down while swinging and hobbled around on his ankle, but stayed in the game. ... Edmonds has driven in 15 runs in his past 16 games. ... Hernandez, a fan favorite in his three years with the Padres, got a huge ovation in his first at-bat in San Diego since being traded to the Cardinals on July 31. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard St. Louis Clubhouse San Diego Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 2 Toronto 1
St. Louis 7
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