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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS -- After making a strong pitch for a starting spot
in the playoffs, Andy Benes said he's ready for a relief role, if
needed.
|  | | St. Louis' Will Clark connects for a two- run home run in the first inning as the Cardinals grabbed the home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
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"We're going to have a good starter no matter who it is,"
Benes said Sunday after the St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up
home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 6-2
victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Benes (12-9) won his second consecutive start since coming off the
disabled list Sept. 2 and made a bid for a start against the
Atlanta Braves.
Benes gave up two runs and six hits in six innings, and
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said he is not certain what Benes'
role will be.
Darryl Kile and Rick Ankiel are the only definite starters.
"The fair thing to do is let cooler heads prevail when we make
a decision," La Russa said. "It's a tough call. Is Andy 100
percent?"
Benes said he would like to be a starter. but would have no
problem if he was assigned to the bullpen.
"I feel like I've thrown the ball pretty well the last couple
of times," he said, "but those decisions aren't made by the
players."
Will Clark and and Craig Paquette drove in three runs each for
the Cardinals.
Atlanta was one out away from securing home field, but Todd
Helton hit a three-run homer in the ninth following a two-out error
by third baseman Chipper Jones, leading the Rockies over the Braves
10-5.
St. Louis and Atlanta each finished the regular season 95-67,
and the Cardinals gained home field because they won the season
series from the Braves 4-3.
In the playoff opener Tuesday, Kile (20-9) pitches for the
Cardinals against Greg Maddux (19-9).
Cincinnati, a spring training favorite to win the National League Central,
dropped from 96-67 last year, when it lost to the New York Mets in
a tiebreaker playoff for the wild card, to 85-77.
Ken Griffey Jr., acquired by the Reds from Seattle in February,
did not play and finished with a .271 average, 40 homers and 118
RBI. The average, homers and RBI were his lowest since his
injury-shortened 1995 season (.258, 17, 42).
Cincinnati's Steve Parris (12-17) gave up six runs, eight hits
and four walks in six innings. He finished the year with three
consecutive defeats after winning seven in a row.
"Today, was the story of our year. We got behind the hitters
and they hurt us," said Reds manager Jack McKeon, whose job is in
jeopardy. "Parris gave it his best shot, but he came up short."
With the score 2-2 in the fifth, Fernando Vina doubled and
scored on Clark's single. Paquette hit a three-run homer in the
sixth.
Trip Cromer's first-inning homer put Cincinnati ahead but Clark
hit a two-run homer in the bottom half. Chris Sexton tied the score
with a run-scoring single in the fourth.
Game notes
Mark McGwire turned 37 Sunday and flied out as a pinch
hitter in the eighth. Since coming off the disabled list, McGwire,
limited to one at-bat per game, was 4-for-14 (.286) with two homer
and three RBI. ... The crowd of 47,533 raised the Cardinals'
record home attendance to 3,336,493, earning McGwire a bonus of
$536,493. He gets $1 for each ticket sold over 2.8 million. ...
Mike Matheny, out for the rest of the season after cutting his
finger with a hunting knife, received a standing ovation when he
brought out the lineup card before the game. ... Dmitri Young was
scratched from the starting lineup with an illness. ... Sean Casey
hit .372 (90-for-242) after the All-Star break to finish the season
with a .315 average.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cincinnati Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
Costly error, shaky Rocker lose homefield for Braves
RECAPS
Cleveland 11
Toronto 4
Detroit 12
Minnesota 11
Tampa Bay 3
Boston 2
Baltimore 7
NY Yankees 3
Kansas City 6
Chi. White Sox 2
Seattle 5
Anaheim 2
Oakland 3
Texas 0
Colorado 10
Atlanta 5
NY Mets 3
Montreal 2
St. Louis 6
Cincinnati 2
Florida 7
Philadelphia 5
Chicago Cubs 10
Pittsburgh 9
San Diego 4
Los Angeles 0
San Francisco 11
Arizona 4
Houston 6
Milwaukee 1
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