NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">NL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - ATLANTA 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 4 11 0 ST LOUIS 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 5 11 0 (TOP 9) CURRENT PITCHERS: ATL - PETER MOYLAN STL - RYAN FRANKLIN DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: C JONES (.333, 0-FOR-3, BB) M TEIXEIRA (.295, 1-FOR-3, BB, RBI) B MCCANN (.273, 0-FOR-4)</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">ATLANTA (4) VS ST LOUIS (5) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg W Harris lf 5 0 0 0 0 2 6 .302 K Johnson 2b 4 1 1 1 1 2 4 .292 C Jones 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 .333 M Teixeira 1b 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 .295 B McCann c 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 .273 J Francoeur rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 .298 A Jones cf 4 2 2 0 0 1 1 .222 Y Escobar ss 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 .327 T Hudson p 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 .250 a-C Woodward ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .210 T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 M Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-S Thorman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .215 P Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 35 4 11 4 3 8 20 a-singled to left for T Hudson in the 6th; b-grounded to shortstop for M Acosta in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - Y Escobar (15, J Pineiro). HR - K Johnson (14, 3rd inning off J Pineiro 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - T Hudson 2 (9), K Johnson (62), M Teixeira (30). 2-out RBI - T Hudson, M Teixeira. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Harris 1, C Jones 1, B McCann 2. Team LOB - 10. ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg D Eckstein ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .295 R Ankiel rf 5 1 1 1 0 2 1 .273 A Pujols 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 0 .319 J Edmonds cf 4 1 2 1 1 1 2 .255 C Duncan lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 .268 S Rolen 3b 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .268 Y Molina c 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 .280 J Pineiro p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-R Ludwick ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .245 R Springer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-S Taguchi ph 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .295 R Flores p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 R Franklin p 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 A Miles 2b 4 1 2 0 0 0 3 .297 Totals 32 5 11 5 5 4 17 a-flied out to right for J Pineiro in the 4th; b-hit sacrifice fly to right for R Springer in the 5th. BATTING: 2B - S Rolen (24, T Hudson). S - J Pineiro , D Eckstein. SF - S Taguchi. RBI - R Ankiel (9), A Pujols (84), J Edmonds (37), S Rolen (57), S Taguchi (20). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Miles 2, R Ludwick 1, C Duncan 1, J Edmonds 1, R Franklin 1. Team LOB - 11. ---------------------------------------------------- ATLANTA - 011 101 00 -- 4 ST LOUIS - 000 050 00 -- 5 ---------------------------------------------------- ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era T Hudson 5 9 5 5 3 0 0 3.23 T Yates 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.98 M Acosta 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 P Moylan 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.01 ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era J Pineiro 4 7 3 3 2 5 1 3.86 R Springer 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.68 R Flores 1 3 1 1 1 2 0 4.57 R Franklin 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.95 IBB - Y Molina 2 (by T Hudson, M Acosta), A Pujols (by P Moylan). Pitches-strikes: T Hudson 80-54; T Yates 8-5; M Acosta 20-11; P Moylan 19-10; J Pineiro 88-54; R Springer 10-6; R Flores 34-17; R Franklin 21-12. Ground balls-fly balls: T Hudson 9-6; T Yates 1-1; M Acosta 1-0; P Moylan 1-1; J Pineiro 3-4; R Springer 0-3; R Flores 0-1; R Franklin 5-0. Batters faced: T Hudson 27; T Yates 3; M Acosta 5; P Moylan 5; J Pineiro 21; R Springer 4; R Flores 7; R Franklin 6. UMPIRES: HP--Lance Barksdale. 1B--Jim Reynolds. 2B--Tim Welke. 3B--Gary Cederstrom. Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS - PITCHING CHANGE STL: JASON ISRINGHAUSEN (4-0, 1.56) STARTING THE 9TH CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5 DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: C JONES (.333, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: J Isringhausen relieved R Franklin. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 4 ST LOUIS 5 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: C Jones (.333, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: B Ryan at shortstop. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: ATLANTA 4 ST LOUIS 5 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR ATLANTA: C Jones (.333, 0-FOR-3)</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - ATLANTA 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 12 0 ST LOUIS 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 x 5 11 1 (FINAL) BATTERIES: ATL - TIM HUDSON, TYLER YATES (6TH), MANNY ACOSTA (7TH), PETER MOYLAN (8TH) AND BRIAN MCCANN STL - JOEL PINEIRO, RUSS SPRINGER (5TH), RANDY FLORES (6TH), RYAN FRANKLIN (7TH), JASON ISRINGHAUSEN (9TH) AND YADIER MOLINA HOME RUNS: ATL - KELLY JOHNSON (14) OFF JOEL PINEIRO IN THE 3RD, 0 ON STL - NONE</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">NL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - ATLANTA 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 12 0 ST LOUIS 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 x 5 11 1 (FINAL) BATTERIES: ATL - TIM HUDSON, TYLER YATES (6TH), MANNY ACOSTA (7TH), PETER MOYLAN (8TH) AND BRIAN MCCANN STL - JOEL PINEIRO, RUSS SPRINGER (5TH), RANDY FLORES (6TH), RYAN FRANKLIN (7TH), JASON ISRINGHAUSEN (9TH) AND YADIER MOLINA WP - RUSS SPRINGER (7-1) LP - TIM HUDSON (15-6) SAVE - JASON ISRINGHAUSEN (26) HOME RUNS: ATL - KELLY JOHNSON (14) OFF JOEL PINEIRO IN THE 3RD, 0 ON STL - NONE TIME: 2:57 ATT: 45,441 PROBABLES: ATL - JO-JO REYES (0-1, 9.62) STL - ADAM WAINWRIGHT (11-9, 3.97)</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">ATLANTA (4) VS ST LOUIS (5) - FINAL ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg W Harris lf 5 0 0 0 0 2 6 .302 K Johnson 2b 4 1 1 1 1 2 4 .292 C Jones 3b 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 .332 M Teixeira 1b 4 0 2 1 1 1 1 .303 B McCann c 5 0 0 0 0 1 5 .272 J Francoeur rf 5 0 1 0 0 2 2 .298 A Jones cf 5 2 2 0 0 2 3 .221 Y Escobar ss 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 .327 T Hudson p 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 .250 a-C Woodward ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .210 T Yates p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 M Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-S Thorman ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .215 P Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 40 4 12 4 3 10 24 a-singled to left for T Hudson in the 6th; b-grounded to shortstop for M Acosta in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - Y Escobar (15, J Pineiro). HR - K Johnson (14, 3rd inning off J Pineiro 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - T Hudson 2 (9), K Johnson (62), M Teixeira (30). 2-out RBI - T Hudson, M Teixeira. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Harris 1, C Jones 1, A Jones 2, B McCann 2. Team LOB - 12. ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg D Eckstein ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 .295 J Isringhausen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 R Ankiel rf 5 1 1 1 0 2 1 .273 A Pujols 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 0 .319 J Edmonds cf 4 1 2 1 1 1 2 .255 C Duncan lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 5 .268 S Rolen 3b 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 .268 Y Molina c 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 .280 J Pineiro p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-R Ludwick ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .245 R Springer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-S Taguchi ph 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .295 R Flores p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 R Franklin p 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 B Ryan ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 A Miles 2b 4 1 2 0 0 0 3 .297 Totals 32 5 11 5 5 4 17 a-flied out to right for J Pineiro in the 4th; b-hit sacrifice fly to right for R Springer in the 5th. BATTING: 2B - S Rolen (24, T Hudson). S - J Pineiro , D Eckstein. SF - S Taguchi. RBI - R Ankiel (9), A Pujols (84), J Edmonds (37), S Rolen (57), S Taguchi (20). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Miles 2, R Ludwick 1, C Duncan 1, J Edmonds 1, R Franklin 1. Team LOB - 11. FIELDING: E - S Rolen (10, throw). ---------------------------------------------------- ATLANTA - 011 101 000 -- 4 ST LOUIS - 000 050 00x -- 5 ---------------------------------------------------- ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era T Hudson (L, 15-6) 5 9 5 5 3 0 0 3.23 T Yates 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.98 M Acosta 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 P Moylan 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.01 ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era J Pineiro 4 7 3 3 2 5 1 3.86 R Springer (W, 7-1) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.68 R Flores (H, 13) 1 3 1 1 1 2 0 4.57 R Franklin (H, 21) 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.95 J Isringhausen (S, 26) 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.53 IBB - Y Molina 2 (by T Hudson, M Acosta), A Pujols (by P Moylan). Pitches-strikes: T Hudson 80-54; T Yates 8-5; M Acosta 20-11; P Moylan 19-10; J Pineiro 88-54; R Springer 10-6; R Flores 34-17; R Franklin 21-12; J Isringhausen 13-10. Ground balls-fly balls: T Hudson 9-6; T Yates 1-1; M Acosta 1-0; P Moylan 1-1; J Pineiro 3-4; R Springer 0-3; R Flores 0-1; R Franklin 5-0; J Isringhausen 0-1. Batters faced: T Hudson 27; T Yates 3; M Acosta 5; P Moylan 5; J Pineiro 21; R Springer 4; R Flores 7; R Franklin 6; J Isringhausen 5. UMPIRES: HP--Lance Barksdale. 1B--Jim Reynolds. 2B--Tim Welke. 3B--Gary Cederstrom. T--2:57. Att--45,441. Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 8 mph, in from center.</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATLANTA (4) AT ST LOUIS (5) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATLANTA 2ND: B McCann fouled out to third. J Francoeur struck out swinging. A Jones singled to left. Y Escobar singled to left, A Jones to second. T Hudson singled to left, A Jones scored, Y Escobar to second. W Harris grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1, ST LOUIS 0. ATLANTA 3RD: K Johnson homered to center. C Jones grounded out to second. M Teixeira walked. B McCann popped out to second. J Francoeur struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 2, ST LOUIS 0. ATLANTA 4TH: A Jones singled to center. Y Escobar doubled to left, A Jones to third. T Hudson singled to right, A Jones scored, Y Escobar to third. W Harris popped out to second. K Johnson struck out swinging. C Jones lined out to pitcher. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, ST LOUIS 0. ST LOUIS 5TH: A Miles reached on bunt single to catcher. D Eckstein singled to right, A Miles to second. R Ankiel singled to right, A Miles scored, D Eckstein to second. A Pujols singled to center, D Eckstein scored, R Ankiel to second. J Edmonds singled to center, R Ankiel scored, A Pujols to second. C Duncan flied out to left. S Rolen doubled to deep right, A Pujols scored, J Edmonds to third. Y Molina intentionally walked. S Taguchi hit for R Springer. S Taguchi hit sacrifice fly to right, J Edmonds scored. A Miles grounded into fielder's choice to third, Y Molina out at second. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, ST LOUIS 5. ATLANTA 6TH: R Flores relieved R Springer. Y Escobar reached on infield single to pitcher. C Woodward hit for T Hudson. C Woodward singled to left, Y Escobar to second. W Harris struck out swinging. K Johnson struck out looking. C Jones walked, Y Escobar to third, C Woodward to second. M Teixeira reached on infield single to third, Y Escobar scored, C Woodward to third, C Jones to second. B McCann popped out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5.</div>
NL: ATLANTA at ST LOUIS <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATLANTA (4) AT ST LOUIS (5) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Atlanta Starting Lineups -- W Harris LF, K Johnson 2B, C Jones 3B, M Teixeira 1B, B McCann C, J Francoeur RF, A Jones CF, Y Escobar SS, T Hudson RHP. St Louis Starting Lineups -- D Eckstein SS, R Ankiel RF, A Pujols 1B, J Edmonds CF, C Duncan LF, S Rolen 3B, Y Molina C, A Miles 2B, J Pineiro RHP. Umpires -- Lance Barksdale (HP), Jim Reynolds (1B), Tim Welke (2B), Gary Cederstrom (3B). Gametime Weather: 83 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind in from center at 8 mph. ATLANTA 1ST: W Harris struck out swinging. K Johnson walked. C Jones grounded into fielder's choice to second, K Johnson out at second. M Teixeira struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0, ST LOUIS 0. ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein grounded out to third. R Ankiel popped out to shortstop. A Pujols singled to center. J Edmonds singled to left, A Pujols to second. C Duncan grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 0, ST LOUIS 0. ATLANTA 2ND: B McCann fouled out to third. J Francoeur struck out swinging. A Jones singled to left. Y Escobar singled to left, A Jones to second. T Hudson singled to left, A Jones scored, Y Escobar to second. W Harris grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1, ST LOUIS 0. ST LOUIS 2ND: S Rolen grounded out to shortstop. Y Molina singled to center. J Pineiro sacrificed to first, Y Molina to second. A Miles grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 1, ST LOUIS 0. ATLANTA 3RD: K Johnson homered to center. C Jones grounded out to second. M Teixeira walked. B McCann popped out to second. J Francoeur struck out swinging. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 2, ST LOUIS 0. ST LOUIS 3RD: D Eckstein grounded out to third. R Ankiel popped out to shortstop. A Pujols grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 2, ST LOUIS 0. ATLANTA 4TH: A Jones singled to center. Y Escobar doubled to left, A Jones to third. T Hudson singled to right, A Jones scored, Y Escobar to third. W Harris popped out to second. K Johnson struck out swinging. C Jones lined out to pitcher. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, ST LOUIS 0. ST LOUIS 4TH: J Edmonds walked. C Duncan flied out to center. S Rolen grounded out to second, J Edmonds to second. Y Molina walked. R Ludwick hit for J Pineiro. R Ludwick flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, ST LOUIS 0. ATLANTA 5TH: R Springer relieved J Pineiro. M Teixeira flied out to right. B McCann popped out to third. J Francoeur singled to left. A Jones flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, ST LOUIS 0. ST LOUIS 5TH: A Miles reached on bunt single to catcher. D Eckstein singled to right, A Miles to second. R Ankiel singled to right, A Miles scored, D Eckstein to second. A Pujols singled to center, D Eckstein scored, R Ankiel to second. J Edmonds singled to center, R Ankiel scored, A Pujols to second. C Duncan flied out to left. S Rolen doubled to deep right, A Pujols scored, J Edmonds to third. Y Molina intentionally walked. S Taguchi hit for R Springer. S Taguchi hit sacrifice fly to right, J Edmonds scored. A Miles grounded into fielder's choice to third, Y Molina out at second. (5 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 3, ST LOUIS 5. ATLANTA 6TH: R Flores relieved R Springer. Y Escobar reached on infield single to pitcher. C Woodward hit for T Hudson. C Woodward singled to left, Y Escobar to second. W Harris struck out swinging. K Johnson struck out looking. C Jones walked, Y Escobar to third, C Woodward to second. M Teixeira reached on infield single to third, Y Escobar scored, C Woodward to third, C Jones to second. B McCann popped out to second. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5. ST LOUIS 6TH: T Yates relieved T Hudson. D Eckstein fouled out to first. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5. ATLANTA 7TH: R Franklin relieved R Flores. J Francoeur grounded out to third. A Jones struck out swinging. Y Escobar grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5. ST LOUIS 7TH: M Acosta relieved T Yates. J Edmonds struck out swinging. C Duncan singled to right. S Rolen grounded out to third, C Duncan to second. Y Molina intentionally walked. R Franklin struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5. ATLANTA 8TH: S Thorman hit for M Acosta. S Thorman grounded out to shortstop. W Harris grounded out to first. K Johnson grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5. ST LOUIS 8TH: P Moylan relieved M Acosta. A Miles reached on infield single to shortstop. D Eckstein sacrificed to pitcher, A Miles to second. R Ankiel struck out swinging. A Pujols intentionally walked. J Edmonds flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5. ATLANTA 9TH: J Isringhausen relieved R Franklin. B Ryan at shortstop. C Jones lined out to third. M Teixeira singled to right. B McCann struck out swinging. J Francoeur safe at second on throwing error by third baseman S Rolen, M Teixeira to third. A Jones struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) ATLANTA 4, ST LOUIS 5.</div>
Cardinals rally in fifth, hold on to top Braves <h3>ST LOUIS 5, ATLANTA 4</h3>ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- So Taguchi capped a five-run rally in thefifth inning and four relievers combined to work five solidframes as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Atlanta Braves, 5-4,on Saturday. Tim Hudson, who entered the game with a nine-game winningstreak, was cruising to his 16th win of the season as the Bravesstaked him to a 3-0 lead. Hudson helped his own cause with apair of RBI singles. But the righthander, who had allowed just three hits over thefirst four innings, fell apart in the fifth. Aaron Miles led off the frame with a bunt single, the first offive consecutive base hits by the Cardinals. Rich Ankiel,Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds capped the run with RBI singles. After Chris Duncan flied out, Scott Rolen doubled over the headof right fielder Jeff Francoeur, plating Pujols and giving St.Louis a 4-3 advantage. Following an intentional walk to YadierMolina that loaded the bases, Taguchi - who was hitting forpitcher Russ Springer - lofted a sacrifice fly to right field toconclude the uprising. The rally made a winner of Springer (7-1), who tossed ascoreless top of the fifth. Springer came on in relief ofstarter Joel Pineiro, who yielded three runs, seven hits and twowalks while striking out five. Randy Flores surrendered a run in the sixth, but Ryan Franklinpitched two perfect innings and closer Jason Isringhausen workedthe ninth, striking out Andruw Jones with runners on second andthird to seal the win and notch his 26th save. Hudson (15-6) lasted just five innings, allowing five runs, ninehits and three walks without a strikeout. The Braves had woneach of Hudson's previous 11 outings and were 20-7 in games hestarted this season. With the loss, Atlanta (67-63) fell seven games behindfirst-place New York (73-55) in the National League EastDivision. The Mets posted a 4-3 victory over the Los AngelesDodgers earlier in the day. The Cardinals (62-64), who won for the 11th time in 16 games,climbed within 3 1/2 games of Chicago (66-61) in the NL Central.The Cubs are taking on the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
Cardinals rally in fifth, hold on to top Braves <h3>ST LOUIS 5, ATLANTA 4</h3>ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- So Taguchi capped a five-run rally in thefifth inning and four relievers combined to work five solidframes as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the Atlanta Braves, 5-4,on Saturday. Tim Hudson, who entered the game with a nine-game winningstreak, was cruising to his 16th win of the season as the Bravesstaked him to a 3-0 lead. Hudson helped his own cause with apair of RBI singles. But the righthander, who had allowed just three hits over thefirst four innings, fell apart in the fifth. Aaron Miles led off the frame with a bunt single, the first offive consecutive base hits by the Cardinals. Rick Ankiel,Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds capped the run with RBI singles. "Huddy had the worst luck I've ever seen of any pitcher in oneinning," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "That bunt was anexcellent bunt, then two broken bats, then the high hopper upthe middle. He was on top of his game, it was just unreal thatthat could happen." After Chris Duncan flied out, Scott Rolen doubled over the headof right fielder Jeff Francoeur, plating Pujols and giving St.Louis a 4-3 advantage. Following an intentional walk to YadierMolina that loaded the bases, Taguchi - who was hitting forpitcher Russ Springer - lofted a sacrifice fly to right field toconclude the uprising. "It was an inning that was frustrating, but it happens," Hudsonsaid. "The breaks go the other way sometimes. It's the type ofinning that drives you crazy, but they happen every now andthen. You just have to do a better job of bearing down andlimiting the damage." "We have a lot of good hitters in the lineup," Miles said. "Weall did the damage in the right inning. We could have spreadthose hits out between a bunch of innings and not had anything,but they all came in the big inning, and that's the story of thegame." The rally made a winner of Springer (7-1), who tossed ascoreless top of the fifth. Springer came on in relief ofstarter Joel Pineiro, who yielded three runs, seven hits and twowalks while striking out five. Randy Flores surrendered a run in the sixth, but Ryan Franklinpitched two perfect innings and closer Jason Isringhausen workedthe ninth, striking out Andruw Jones with runners on second andthird to seal the win and notch his 26th save. "Our bullpen, they get the one run the whole way from there tothe end," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "How aboutIzzy? He has to go up against the middle of that lineup and getthree outs. It was a really tough game. It had a lot of greatthings happen for us to win it." Hudson (15-6) lasted just five innings, allowing five runs, ninehits and three walks without a strikeout. The Braves had woneach of Hudson's previous 11 outings and were 20-7 in games hestarted this season. "He wouldn't have lost tonight if he had any type of luck," Coxsaid. The loss also was Hudson's first when staked to a three-run leadsince August 2000, snapping a streak of 76 consecutive wins inthat instance. "A three-run lead is a lot for any pitcher," said Hudson, whofell to 95-2 lifetime when ahead by three or more runs. "Anyfront-line starter in baseball, if you give them three runs, youshould feel like you should win the ballgame. I felt like weshould have won tonight, for sure." "I don't see that happening too often," Edmonds said of rallyingagainst Hudson. "We are fortunate to walk away with the win,given his past." With the loss, Atlanta (67-63) fell seven games behindfirst-place New York (73-55) in the National League EastDivision. The Mets posted a 4-3 victory over the Los AngelesDodgers earlier in the day. The Cardinals (62-64), who won for the 11th time in 16 games,climbed within 3 1/2 games of Chicago (66-61) in the NL Central.The Cubs are taking on the Diamondbacks in Arizona. "We have always been confident," Edmonds said. "We have a goodgroup of guys that can play, we just haven't been playing well.It always comes down to the end of the year, you see whathappens. We'll see in 35 more days."
