NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: S Torres relieved F Osoria. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: ST LOUIS 5 PITTSBURGH 1 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: B Ryan (.288, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE DOUBLE BY ALBERT PUJOLS SCORED DAVID ECKSTEIN. SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, A PUJOLS ON THIRD, 2 OUT CURRENT SCORE: ST LOUIS 6 PITTSBURGH 1 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: R LUDWICK (.271, 1-FOR-3, HBP)</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - ST LOUIS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 6 11 0 PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 0 (BOT 9) CURRENT PITCHERS: STL - RYAN FRANKLIN PIT - SALOMON TORRES DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A LAROCHE (.273, 0-FOR-3) X NADY (.280, 0-FOR-3) J BAUTISTA (.256, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">ST LOUIS (6) VS PITTSBURGH (1) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg D Eckstein ss 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 .310 R Ankiel rf-cf 4 0 2 0 0 2 2 .282 A Pujols 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 2 .328 R Ludwick lf-rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 3 .270 S Taguchi cf-lf 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 .289 A Miles 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .292 G Bennett c 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .238 b-J Edmonds ph 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 .250 J Pineiro pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .056 K Stinnett c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 T Wellemeyer p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .125 a-M Cairo ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 R Springer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 c-S Schumaker ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .316 R Franklin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 B Ryan 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .287 Totals 35 6 11 6 3 6 19 a-struck out looking for T Wellemeyer in the 7th; b-singled to right for G Bennett in the 8th; c-grounded into fielder's choice to third for R Springer in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (23, Z Duke); G Bennett (7, Z Duke); A Pujols (37, S Torres). S - R Ankiel. RBI - S Taguchi 2 (29), J Edmonds 3 (52), A Pujols (102). 2-out RBI - S Taguchi, J Edmonds 3, A Pujols. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Miles 1, R Ludwick 1, D Eckstein 1, B Ryan 1. GIDP - A Pujols 2. Team LOB - 7. BASERUNNING: SB - B Ryan (7, 2nd base off Z Duke/R Paulino), D Eckstein (10, 2nd base off J Grabow/R Paulino). PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg N Morgan cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .296 M Kata 2b 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 .259 A LaRoche 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .273 X Nady lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 .280 J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .256 R Paulino c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .261 S Pearce rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .283 J Wilson ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .297 Z Duke p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250 J Grabow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 D Marte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 F Osoria p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-C Izturis ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256 S Torres p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 28 1 5 1 0 6 5 a-grounded to second for F Osoria in the 8th. BATTING: 3B - N Morgan (4, R Franklin). S - Z Duke. RBI - M Kata (10). 2-out RBI - M Kata. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Kata 1, X Nady 1. Team LOB - 4. FIELDING: DP: 2 (J Bautista-M Kata-A LaRoche, J Wilson-M Kata-A LaRoche). ---------------------------------------------------- ST LOUIS - 100 000 041 -- 6 PITTSBURGH - 000 001 00 -- 1 ---------------------------------------------------- ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era T Wellemeyer 6 3 1 1 0 5 0 3.11 R Springer 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.22 R Franklin 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.72 PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era Z Duke 7 8 1 1 0 4 0 5.53 J Grabow 1/3 0 4 4 3 0 0 4.53 D Marte 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.38 F Osoria 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.18 S Torres 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 5.51 IBB - A Pujols (by J Grabow). HBP - R Ludwick (by J Grabow). Pitches-strikes: T Wellemeyer 70-48; R Springer 19-13; R Franklin 14-11; Z Duke 91-59; J Grabow 22-6; D Marte 5-3; F Osoria 7-5; S Torres 17-14. Ground balls-fly balls: T Wellemeyer 6-7; R Springer 0-2; R Franklin 2-1; Z Duke 10-7; J Grabow 1-0; D Marte 0-0; F Osoria 1-0; S Torres 1-1. Batters faced: T Wellemeyer 21; R Springer 4; R Franklin 4; Z Duke 27; J Grabow 5; D Marte 1; F Osoria 2; S Torres 5. UMPIRES: HP--Mike Dimuro. 1B--Gerry Davis. 2B--Brian Gorman. 3B--Paul Nauert. Weather: 67 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, out to center.</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - PITCHING CHANGE STL: TROY PERCIVAL (3-0, 1.89) STARTING THE 9TH CURRENT SCORE: ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1 DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A LAROCHE (.273, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL AT PITTSBURGH - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: T Percival relieved R Franklin. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: ST LOUIS 6 PITTSBURGH 1 BOTTOM, 9TH DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A LaRoche (.273, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - ST LOUIS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 6 11 0 PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: STL - TODD WELLEMEYER, RUSS SPRINGER (7TH), RYAN FRANKLIN (8TH), TROY PERCIVAL (9TH) AND GARY BENNETT, KELLY STINNETT (8TH) PIT - ZACH DUKE, JOHN GRABOW (8TH), DAMASO MARTE (8TH), FRANQUELIS OSORIA (8TH), SALOMON TORRES (9TH) AND RONNY PAULINO HOME RUNS: STL - NONE PIT - NONE</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - ST LOUIS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 6 11 0 PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: STL - TODD WELLEMEYER, RUSS SPRINGER (7TH), RYAN FRANKLIN (8TH), TROY PERCIVAL (9TH) AND GARY BENNETT, KELLY STINNETT (8TH) PIT - ZACH DUKE, JOHN GRABOW (8TH), DAMASO MARTE (8TH), FRANQUELIS OSORIA (8TH), SALOMON TORRES (9TH) AND RONNY PAULINO WP - RUSS SPRINGER (8-1) LP - JOHN GRABOW (3-2) SAVE - NONE HOME RUNS: STL - NONE PIT - NONE TIME: 2:35 ATT: 30,603 PROBABLES: STL - ADAM WAINWRIGHT (13-12, 3.69) PIT - TOM GORZELANNY (14-9, 3.73)</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">ST LOUIS (6) VS PITTSBURGH (1) - FINAL ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg D Eckstein ss 4 3 2 0 1 0 1 .310 R Ankiel rf-cf 4 0 2 0 0 2 2 .282 A Pujols 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 2 .328 R Ludwick lf-rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 3 .270 S Taguchi cf-lf 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 .289 A Miles 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .292 G Bennett c 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .238 b-J Edmonds ph 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 .250 J Pineiro pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .056 K Stinnett c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 T Wellemeyer p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .125 a-M Cairo ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 R Springer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 c-S Schumaker ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .316 R Franklin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 T Percival p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 B Ryan 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .287 Totals 35 6 11 6 3 6 19 a-struck out looking for T Wellemeyer in the 7th; b-singled to right for G Bennett in the 8th; c-grounded into fielder's choice to third for R Springer in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (23, Z Duke); G Bennett (7, Z Duke); A Pujols (37, S Torres). S - R Ankiel. RBI - S Taguchi 2 (29), J Edmonds 3 (52), A Pujols (102). 2-out RBI - S Taguchi, J Edmonds 3, A Pujols. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Miles 1, R Ludwick 1, D Eckstein 1, B Ryan 1. GIDP - A Pujols 2. Team LOB - 7. BASERUNNING: SB - B Ryan (7, 2nd base off Z Duke/R Paulino), D Eckstein (10, 2nd base off J Grabow/R Paulino). PITTSBURGH ab r h rbi bb so lob avg N Morgan cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .296 M Kata 2b 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 .259 A LaRoche 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .273 X Nady lf 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 .280 J Bautista 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 .256 R Paulino c 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .260 S Pearce rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .283 J Wilson ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .297 Z Duke p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250 J Grabow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 D Marte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 F Osoria p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-C Izturis ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256 S Torres p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 31 1 5 1 1 6 6 a-grounded to second for F Osoria in the 8th. BATTING: 3B - N Morgan (4, R Franklin). S - Z Duke. RBI - M Kata (10). 2-out RBI - M Kata. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Kata 1, X Nady 1. Team LOB - 5. FIELDING: DP: 2 (J Bautista-M Kata-A LaRoche, J Wilson-M Kata-A LaRoche). ---------------------------------------------------- ST LOUIS - 100 000 041 -- 6 PITTSBURGH - 000 001 000 -- 1 ---------------------------------------------------- ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era T Wellemeyer 6 3 1 1 0 5 0 3.11 R Springer (W, 8-1) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.22 R Franklin 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.72 T Percival 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.85 PITTSBURGH ip h r er bb so hr era Z Duke 7 8 1 1 0 4 0 5.53 J Grabow (L, 3-2) 1/3 0 4 4 3 0 0 4.53 D Marte 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.38 F Osoria 1/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.18 S Torres 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 5.51 IBB - A Pujols (by J Grabow). HBP - R Ludwick (by J Grabow). Pitches-strikes: T Wellemeyer 70-48; R Springer 19-13; R Franklin 14-11; T Percival 13-7; Z Duke 91-59; J Grabow 22-6; D Marte 5-3; F Osoria 7-5; S Torres 17-14. Ground balls-fly balls: T Wellemeyer 6-7; R Springer 0-2; R Franklin 2-1; T Percival 2-1; Z Duke 10-7; J Grabow 1-0; D Marte 0-0; F Osoria 1-0; S Torres 1-1. Batters faced: T Wellemeyer 21; R Springer 4; R Franklin 4; T Percival 4; Z Duke 27; J Grabow 5; D Marte 1; F Osoria 2; S Torres 5. UMPIRES: HP--Mike Dimuro. 1B--Gerry Davis. 2B--Brian Gorman. 3B--Paul Nauert. T--2:35. Att--30,603. Weather: 67 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 12 mph, out to center.</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ST LOUIS (6) AT PITTSBURGH (1) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein doubled to deep left. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols singled to right, D Eckstein to third. R Ludwick popped out to second. S Taguchi reached on infield single to third, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to second. A Miles fouled out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 6TH: J Wilson singled to left. Z Duke sacrificed to catcher, J Wilson to second. N Morgan flied out to center. M Kata singled to left, J Wilson scored. A LaRoche grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 8TH: J Grabow relieved Z Duke. D Eckstein walked. D Eckstein stole second. R Ankiel sacrificed to third, D Eckstein to third. A Pujols intentionally walked. R Ludwick hit by pitch, A Pujols to second. S Taguchi walked, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to third, R Ludwick to second. D Marte relieved J Grabow. A Miles struck out swinging. F Osoria relieved D Marte. J Edmonds hit for G Bennett. J Edmonds singled to right, A Pujols, R Ludwick and S Taguchi scored. J Pineiro ran for J Edmonds. S Schumaker hit for R Springer. S Schumaker grounded into fielder's choice to third, J Pineiro out at second. (4 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 5, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 9TH: S Torres relieved F Osoria. B Ryan grounded out to shortstop. D Eckstein singled to right. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols doubled to deep left, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to third advancing on throw. R Ludwick flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1.</div>
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ST LOUIS (6) AT PITTSBURGH (1) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ St Louis Starting Lineups -- D Eckstein SS, R Ankiel RF, A Pujols 1B, R Ludwick LF, S Taguchi CF, A Miles 2B, G Bennett C, B Ryan 3B, T Wellemeyer RHP. Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N Morgan CF, M Kata 2B, A LaRoche 1B, X Nady LF, J Bautista 3B, R Paulino C, S Pearce RF, J Wilson SS, Z Duke LHP. Umpires -- Mike Dimuro (HP), Gerry Davis (1B), Brian Gorman (2B), Paul Nauert (3B). Gametime Weather: 67 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind out to center at 12 mph. ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein doubled to deep left. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols singled to right, D Eckstein to third. R Ludwick popped out to second. S Taguchi reached on infield single to third, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to second. A Miles fouled out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 1ST: R Ankiel in center field. R Ludwick in right field. S Taguchi in left field. N Morgan flied out to center. M Kata grounded out to first. A LaRoche popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 2ND: G Bennett fouled out to catcher. T Wellemeyer struck out swinging. B Ryan popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 2ND: X Nady struck out swinging. J Bautista flied out to left. R Paulino flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 3RD: D Eckstein grounded out to shortstop. R Ankiel singled to left. A Pujols grounded into double play, third to second to first, R Ankiel out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 3RD: S Pearce grounded out to shortstop. J Wilson popped out to first. Z Duke struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 4TH: R Ludwick struck out swinging. S Taguchi grounded out to third. A Miles grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 4TH: N Morgan struck out swinging. M Kata singled to center. A LaRoche grounded out to catcher, M Kata to second. X Nady struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 5TH: G Bennett singled to center. T Wellemeyer bunted into fielder's choice to first, G Bennett out at second. B Ryan grounded into fielder's choice to third, T Wellemeyer out at second. B Ryan stole second. D Eckstein popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista flied out to center. R Paulino grounded out to shortstop. S Pearce struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 6TH: R Ankiel reached on infield single to second. A Pujols grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, R Ankiel out at second. R Ludwick singled to left. S Taguchi grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 6TH: J Wilson singled to left. Z Duke sacrificed to catcher, J Wilson to second. N Morgan flied out to center. M Kata singled to left, J Wilson scored. A LaRoche grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 7TH: A Miles flied out to right. G Bennett hit a ground rule double to deep left center. M Cairo hit for T Wellemeyer. M Cairo struck out looking. B Ryan flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. PITTSBURGH 7TH: R Springer relieved T Wellemeyer. X Nady popped out to first. J Bautista struck out swinging. R Paulino singled to center. S Pearce flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 8TH: J Grabow relieved Z Duke. D Eckstein walked. D Eckstein stole second. R Ankiel sacrificed to third, D Eckstein to third. A Pujols intentionally walked. R Ludwick hit by pitch, A Pujols to second. S Taguchi walked, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to third, R Ludwick to second. D Marte relieved J Grabow. A Miles struck out swinging. F Osoria relieved D Marte. J Edmonds hit for G Bennett. J Edmonds singled to right, A Pujols, R Ludwick and S Taguchi scored. J Pineiro ran for J Edmonds. S Schumaker hit for R Springer. S Schumaker grounded into fielder's choice to third, J Pineiro out at second. (4 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 5, PITTSBURGH 1. PITTSBURGH 8TH: K Stinnett catching. R Franklin relieved R Springer. J Wilson lined out to pitcher. C Izturis hit for F Osoria. C Izturis grounded out to second. N Morgan tripled to deep right. M Kata grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 5, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 9TH: S Torres relieved F Osoria. B Ryan grounded out to shortstop. D Eckstein singled to right. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols doubled to deep left, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to third advancing on throw. R Ludwick flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1. PITTSBURGH 9TH: T Percival relieved R Franklin. A LaRoche grounded out to second. X Nady flied out to right. J Bautista walked. R Paulino grounded out to catcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1.</div>
Cards score four in eighth to sink Pirates <h3>ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1</h3>By Brad Everett PA sportsTicker Contributing Writer PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The final weekend of the season is a starkcontrast from last year for the St. Louis Cardinals. But just likethey did at the end of last season, the Cardinals are ending playon a good note. The defending World Series champions busted open a tight gamewith a four-run eighth inning on Friday night, defeating theNational League Central Division cellar dwelling PittsburghPirates, 6-1, at PNC Park. It was the Cardinals' fifth win in their past seven games andtheir third road win in a different park in three days. OnWednesday, they won in Milwaukee and on Thursday, they defeatedthe Mets in a makeup game in New York. With the game tied, 1-1, in the eighth, the Cardinals tookcontrol against the Pittsburgh bullpen. Pirates reliever John Grabow (3-2) walked two and hit a batterto load the bases with one out. Grabow then walked So Taguchi,which scored David Eckstein to give the Cardinals the lead.With Franquelis Osoria on the mound two batters later, JimEdmonds hit a soft fly ball to right field that Steve Pearceunsuccessfully made a diving attempt at, which brought homethree to put the Cardinals ahead, 5-1. Cardinals reliever Russ Springer (8-1) pitched a scorelessseventh inning to earn the win. For the Pirates, it was the 11th loss in their past 13 tries,assuring them last place in the division. The matchup between the Cardinals' Todd Wellemeyer and Pirates'Zach Duke certainly didn't appear to be a pitchers' duel onpaper, but that is exactly what it turned out to be. Wellemeyer, a career journeyman who had never started a gameprior to this season, pitched six innings, giving up just onerun on three hits while striking out five. The righthander hasmade the most of his starts recently, and looked sharp againstPirates. Making just his third appearance - and second start - sincemissing over two months because of an elbow ailment, Duke waseffective as well, holding the Cardinals to one run and eighthits over seven solid innings.
Cards score four in eighth to sink Pirates <h3>ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1</h3>By Brad Everett PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The final weekend of this season is astark contrast from last year for the St. Louis Cardinals. Butjust like they did at the end of last season, the Cardinals areending play on a good note. The defending World Series champions busted open a tight gamewith a four-run eighth inning on Friday night, defeating theNational League Central Division cellar dwelling PittsburghPirates, 6-1, at PNC Park. It was the Cardinals' fifth win in their past seven games andtheir third road win in a different park in three days. OnWednesday, they won in Milwaukee and on Thursday, they defeatedthe Mets in a makeup game in New York. "I'm trying to have fun these past couple days and make surethese guys have a good time," said veteran Cardinals outfielderJim Edmonds. "I don't know why we're winning, but we'rewinning." An Edmonds pinch hit single keyed the Cardinals' offensiveattack against a wild Pirates bullpen in the eighth inning of a1-1 game. Pirates reliever John Grabow (3-2) walked two and hit a batterto load the bases with one out. Grabow then walked So Taguchi,scoring David Eckstein to give the Cardinals the lead. With Franquelis Osoria on the mound two batters later, JimEdmonds hit a soft fly ball to right field that Steve Pearcecouldn't come up with, which brought home three to put theCardinals ahead, 5-1. "It was luck," Edmonds said. "I hit the ball off the end of thebat, and the guy broke back. I'm just trying to put the ball inplay; I'm not really trying to do anything special. I'll dowhatever I can right now." Cardinals reliever Russ Springer (8-1) pitched a scorelessseventh inning to earn the win. For the Pirates, it was the 11th loss in their past 13 tries,assuring them last place in the division. The matchup between the Cardinals' Todd Wellemeyer and Pirates'Zach Duke certainly didn't appear to be a pitchers' duel onpaper, but that is exactly what it turned out to be. Wellemeyer, a career journeyman who had never started a gameprior to this season, pitched six innings, giving up just onerun on three hits while striking out five. The righthander hasmade the most of his starts recently, and looked sharp againstPirates. "I was definitely wanting to finish strong," Wellemeyer said."It's a good way to end the season. I'm glad I got to go fartherthan five innings, and I'm glad we won the game." Making just his third appearance - and second start - sincemissing over two months because of an elbow ailment, Duke waseffective as well, holding the Cardinals to one run and eighthits over seven solid innings. Having struggled since an impressive rookie campaign in 2005when he went 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA, Duke's outing provided hopefor next season. "I think Zach Duke was out there tonight feeling a lot of whathe felt in 2005," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "And what agood sendoff that is going into his offseason and theopportunity to come into spring training and realize the factthat he is every bit that guy that was here."
NL: ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ST LOUIS (6) AT PITTSBURGH (1) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ St Louis Starting Lineups -- D Eckstein SS, R Ankiel CF, A Pujols 1B, R Ludwick RF, S Taguchi LF, A Miles 2B, G Bennett C, B Ryan 3B, T Wellemeyer RHP. Pittsburgh Starting Lineups -- N Morgan CF, M Kata 2B, A LaRoche 1B, X Nady LF, J Bautista 3B, R Paulino C, S Pearce RF, J Wilson SS, Z Duke LHP. Umpires -- Mike Dimuro (HP), Gerry Davis (1B), Brian Gorman (2B), Paul Nauert (3B). Gametime Weather: 67 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind out to center at 12 mph. ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein doubled to deep left. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols singled to right, D Eckstein to third. R Ludwick popped out to second. S Taguchi reached on infield single to third, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to second. A Miles fouled out to first. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 1ST: N Morgan flied out to center. M Kata grounded out to first. A LaRoche popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 2ND: G Bennett fouled out to catcher. T Wellemeyer struck out swinging. B Ryan popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 2ND: X Nady struck out swinging. J Bautista flied out to left. R Paulino flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 3RD: D Eckstein grounded out to shortstop. R Ankiel singled to left. A Pujols grounded into double play, third to second to first, R Ankiel out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 3RD: S Pearce grounded out to shortstop. J Wilson popped out to first. Z Duke struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 4TH: R Ludwick struck out swinging. S Taguchi grounded out to third. A Miles grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 4TH: N Morgan struck out swinging. M Kata singled to center. A LaRoche grounded out to catcher, M Kata to second. X Nady struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 5TH: G Bennett singled to center. T Wellemeyer bunted into fielder's choice to first, G Bennett out at second. B Ryan grounded into fielder's choice to third, T Wellemeyer out at second. B Ryan stole second. D Eckstein popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 5TH: J Bautista flied out to center. R Paulino grounded out to shortstop. S Pearce struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. ST LOUIS 6TH: R Ankiel reached on infield single to second. A Pujols grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, R Ankiel out at second. R Ludwick singled to left. S Taguchi grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 0. PITTSBURGH 6TH: J Wilson singled to left. Z Duke sacrificed to catcher, J Wilson to second. N Morgan flied out to center. M Kata singled to left, J Wilson scored. A LaRoche grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 7TH: A Miles flied out to right. G Bennett hit a ground rule double to deep left center. M Cairo hit for T Wellemeyer. M Cairo struck out looking. B Ryan flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. PITTSBURGH 7TH: R Springer relieved T Wellemeyer. X Nady popped out to first. J Bautista struck out swinging. R Paulino singled to center. S Pearce flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 8TH: J Grabow relieved Z Duke. D Eckstein walked. D Eckstein stole second. R Ankiel sacrificed to third, D Eckstein to third. A Pujols intentionally walked. R Ludwick hit by pitch, A Pujols to second. S Taguchi walked, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to third, R Ludwick to second. D Marte relieved J Grabow. A Miles struck out swinging. F Osoria relieved D Marte. J Edmonds hit for G Bennett. J Edmonds singled to right, A Pujols, R Ludwick and S Taguchi scored. J Pineiro ran for J Edmonds. S Schumaker hit for R Springer. S Schumaker grounded into fielder's choice to third, J Pineiro out at second. (4 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 5, PITTSBURGH 1. PITTSBURGH 8TH: K Stinnett catching. R Franklin relieved R Springer. J Wilson lined out to pitcher. C Izturis hit for F Osoria. C Izturis grounded out to second. N Morgan tripled to deep right. M Kata grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 5, PITTSBURGH 1. ST LOUIS 9TH: S Torres relieved F Osoria. B Ryan grounded out to shortstop. D Eckstein singled to right. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols doubled to deep left, D Eckstein scored, A Pujols to third advancing on throw. R Ludwick flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1. PITTSBURGH 9TH: T Percival relieved R Franklin. A LaRoche grounded out to second. X Nady flied out to right. J Bautista walked. R Paulino grounded out to catcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 6, PITTSBURGH 1.</div>
