GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: ST LOUIS (69-68) at ARIZONA (78-63)

NL: ST LOUIS at ARIZONA

<div class="pre">ST LOUIS (2) VS ARIZONA (4) - FINAL

ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .298
R Ankiel rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .353
T Johnson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Franklin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
A Pujols 1b 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 .318
J Edmonds cf 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 .246
C Duncan lf 1 0 0 0 3 1 2 .261
R Branyan 3b 3 0 0 0 1 2 3 .194
Y Molina c 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .277
A Wainwright p 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .269
a-S Schumaker ph-rf 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .318
A Miles 2b 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 .306

Totals 31 2 7 2 5 7 16

a-singled to center for A Wainwright in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - A Pujols (28, B Lyon). HR - J Edmonds (10, 4th inning off B Webb
0 on, 1 Out). S - D Eckstein. RBI - J Edmonds (43), A Pujols (86). 2-out RBI -
A Pujols. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Duncan 1, Y Molina 1, A
Wainwright 1. GIDP - R Branyan, D Eckstein. Team LOB - 8.

FIELDING: E - D Eckstein (16, ground ball); R Branyan (2, throw). DP: 2 (R
Branyan-A Miles-A Pujols, D Eckstein-A Pujols-R Branyan).


ARIZONA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
S Drew ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .230
J Salazar rf 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .276
E Byrnes lf 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 .295
T Clark 1b 4 1 2 1 0 0 2 .243
M Reynolds 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .268
C Young cf 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 .238
C Snyder c 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 .245
A Ojeda 2b 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .235
B Webb p 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .078
T Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
a-J Upton ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221
B Lyon p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J Valverde p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Totals 30 4 7 3 2 2 10

a-grounded to shortstop for T Pena in the 7th.

BATTING: 2B - E Byrnes (27, A Wainwright). HR - T Clark (14, 8th inning off R
Franklin 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - E Byrnes (81), C Young (58), T Clark (43). 2-out
RBI - T Clark. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Drew 1, M Reynolds
1. GIDP - C Snyder. Team LOB - 4.

BASERUNNING: CS - C Young (4, 2nd base by A Wainwright).

FIELDING: DP: 2 (T Clark-S Drew-T Clark, A Ojeda-S Drew-T Clark).


----------------------------------------------------
ST LOUIS - 000 110 000 -- 2
ARIZONA - 010 002 01x -- 4
----------------------------------------------------

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
A Wainwright (L, 13-10) 6 6 3 2 2 1 0 3.75
T Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.78
R Franklin 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 2.03

ARIZONA ip h r er bb so hr era
B Webb (W, 15-10) 6 4 2 2 4 5 1 2.91
T Pena (H, 26) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2.65
B Lyon (H, 29) 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.86
J Valverde (S, 43) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.78

Pitches-strikes: A Wainwright 98-57; T Johnson 13-7; R Franklin 25-14; B Webb
86-55; T Pena 11-7; B Lyon 17-8; J Valverde 11-10. Ground balls-fly balls: A
Wainwright 8-7; T Johnson 2-1; R Franklin 0-2; B Webb 10-3; T Pena 0-3; B Lyon
1-1; J Valverde 2-0. Batters faced: A Wainwright 25; T Johnson 3; R Franklin 4;
B Webb 25; T Pena 4; B Lyon 5; J Valverde 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Larry Poncino. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Jerry Meals. 3B--Gary Darling.

T--2:37. Att--31,225.
Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

Webb outduels Wainwright as Diamondbacks win third straight

<h3>ARIZONA 4, ST LOUIS 2</h3>PHOENIX (Ticker) -- In a game of second-half aces, Brandon Webbwas just a bit luckier.


Webb outdueled Adam Wainwright and became the fifth 15-gamewinner in the National League and Eric Byrnes scored thego-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacksdowned the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on Friday.


With the win, Arizona doubled their lead in the NL West to twogames over San Diego (76-64), which fell to Colorado earlier inthe evening.


Since the All-Star break, Webb (2.34 ERA) and Wainwright (2.48)own the two best ERAs in the National League. This game did notdisappoint from that standpoint, as an unearned run was thedifference in Webb leaving with the lead and getting credit forthe win.


Webb (15-10) snapped a two-start losing streak despitesurrendering a solo shot to Jim Edmonds in the fourth, the thirdconsecutive game in which he has allowed a long ball aftergoing eight straight outings without permitting one. Over sixframes, the righthander yielded two runs and four hits with anuncharacteristic four walks and five strikeouts.


Wainwright (13-10) nearly matched Webb pitch for pitch,permitting three runs - two earned - and six hits over sixinnings, taking the loss only because of Russell Branyan'sthrowing error in a Webb at-bat that allowed Augie Ojeda toscore the first Arizona run.


With the Diamondbacks trailing, 2-1, in the sixth, Byrnesfollowed a Jeff Salazar leadoff walk with a sinking liner intoleft-center that scored Salazar. Three batters later, ChrisYoung pushed Byrnes across the plate with an RBI fielder'schoice groundout to increase the Arizona advantage to 3-2.

Tony Clark belted a solo homer in the eighth to double theDiamondbacks' lead to 4-2.


Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon each tossed a scoreless inning tobridge the gap between Webb and closer Jose Valverde, who workedaround a single from Aaron Miles in the ninth to post his 43rdsave in 50 chances.


Albert Pujols had two hits and an RBI for the Cardinals (69-69),who missed out on an opportunity to force a three-way tie inthe NL Central when the Chicago Cubs (71-69) and MilwaukeeBrewers (71-69) both lost earlier in the day.

 

Webb outduels Wainwright as Diamondbacks win third straight

<h3>ARIZONA 4, ST LOUIS 2</h3>PHOENIX (Ticker) -- In a game of second-half aces, Brandon Webbwas just a bit luckier.


Webb outdueled Adam Wainwright and became the fifth 15-gamewinner in the National League and Eric Byrnes scored thego-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacksdowned the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on Friday.


With the win, Arizona doubled their lead in the NL West to twogames over San Diego (76-65), which fell to Colorado earlier inthe evening.


Since the All-Star break, Webb (2.34 ERA) and Wainwright (2.48)own the two best ERAs in the National League. This game did notdisappoint from that standpoint, as an unearned run was thedifference in Webb leaving with the lead and getting credit forthe win.


Webb (15-10) snapped a two-start losing streak despitesurrendering a solo shot to Jim Edmonds in the fourth, the thirdconsecutive game in which he has allowed a long ball aftergoing eight straight outings without permitting one. Over sixframes, the righthander yielded two runs and four hits with anuncharacteristic four walks and five strikeouts.


"I didn't have my best stuff and didn't feel real great outthere," Webb said. "I felt better the last couple of outingsbut had some not-so-good results and that is how it has been.Sometimes, I feel bad and get pretty good results and tonightwas one of those nights and needed it against a team like theCardinals and a pitcher like Wainwright."


Wainwright (13-10) nearly matched Webb pitch for pitch,permitting three runs - two earned - and six hits over sixinnings, taking the loss only because of Russell Branyan'sthrowing error in a Webb at-bat that allowed Augie Ojeda toscore the first Arizona run.


"I don't have a whole lot of pitches I would like to take back,"Wainwright said. "I threw a ton of pitches that were just offthe plate and they didn't swing at them. I was given a leadagainst Brandon Webb - one of our game's best - and I blew it.I really feel like I got punched in the stomach there. I feellike I let the team down big time."


With the Diamondbacks trailing, 2-1, in the sixth, Byrnesfollowed a Jeff Salazar leadoff walk with a sinking liner intoleft-center that scored Salazar. Three batters later, ChrisYoung pushed Byrnes across the plate with an RBI fielder'schoice groundout to increase the Arizona advantage to 3-2.

"That is the type of team we are," Byrnes said. "We continue toscrap and try to find ways to score runs. We continue tobattle and it helps when we have a guy like Brandon Webb on themound."


Tony Clark belted a solo homer in the eighth to double theDiamondbacks' lead to 4-2.


"Another well-played game," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said."They made a couple of errors that cost them and, a lot oftimes in close games like that, that will swing something,whether it is a two-out walk or a misplay. Getting somemiddle-inning runs were huge then and Tony's add-on was big."

Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon each tossed a scoreless inning tobridge the gap between Webb and closer Jose Valverde, who workedaround a single from Aaron Miles in the ninth to post his 43rdsave in 50 chances.


"From spring training on, we all felt like we had a greatbullpen," Lyon said. "Everything is under a microscope thistime of the season. You have to have a short memory and forgetabout what has happened in the past and we have done a god jobof that. We just try to go out there and pitch as well as wecan and pitch to our strengths."


Albert Pujols had two hits and an RBI for the Cardinals (69-69),who missed out on an opportunity to force a three-way tie inthe NL Central when the Chicago Cubs (71-69) and MilwaukeeBrewers (71-69) both lost earlier in the day.


"It was a well-pitched game all the way to the end," Cardinalsmanger Tony La Russa said. "We had to scratch for runs. Therewere a couple of big blows, we each missed a rally or two. Itwas a tough game that went their way. Wainwright pitched wellenough to win but he was going against a tough guy like Webb.We couldn't do much with him."

 

Webb outduels Wainwright as Diamondbacks win third straight

<h3>ARIZONA 4, ST LOUIS 2</h3>PHOENIX (Ticker) -- In a game of second-half aces, Brandon Webbwas just a bit luckier.


Webb outdueled Adam Wainwright and became the fifth 15-gamewinner in the National League and Eric Byrnes scored thego-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacksdowned the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on Friday.


With the win, Arizona doubled their lead in the NL West to twogames over San Diego (76-65), which fell to Colorado earlier inthe evening.


Since the All-Star break, Webb (2.34 ERA) and Wainwright (2.48)own the two best ERAs in the National League. This game did notdisappoint from that standpoint, as an unearned run was thedifference in Webb leaving with the lead and getting credit forthe win.


Webb (15-10) snapped a two-start losing streak despitesurrendering a solo shot to Jim Edmonds in the fourth, the thirdconsecutive game in which he has allowed a long ball aftergoing eight straight outings without permitting one. Over sixframes, the righthander yielded two runs and four hits with anuncharacteristic four walks and five strikeouts.


"I didn't have my best stuff and didn't feel real great outthere," Webb said. "I felt better the last couple of outingsbut had some not-so-good results and that is how it has been.Sometimes, I feel bad and get pretty good results and tonightwas one of those nights and needed it against a team like theCardinals and a pitcher like Wainwright."


Wainwright (13-10) nearly matched Webb pitch for pitch,permitting three runs - two earned - and six hits over sixinnings, taking the loss only because of Russell Branyan'sthrowing error in a Webb at-bat that allowed Augie Ojeda toscore the first Arizona run.


"I don't have a whole lot of pitches I would like to take back,"Wainwright said. "I threw a ton of pitches that were just offthe plate and they didn't swing at them. I was given a leadagainst Brandon Webb - one of our game's best - and I blew it.I really feel like I got punched in the stomach there. I feellike I let the team down big time."


With the Diamondbacks trailing, 2-1, in the sixth, Byrnesfollowed a Jeff Salazar leadoff walk with a sinking liner intoleft-center that scored Salazar. Three batters later, ChrisYoung pushed Byrnes across the plate with an RBI fielder'schoice groundout to increase the Arizona advantage to 3-2.

"That is the type of team we are," Byrnes said. "We continue toscrap and try to find ways to score runs. We continue tobattle and it helps when we have a guy like Brandon Webb on themound."


Tony Clark belted a solo homer in the eighth to double theDiamondbacks' lead to 4-2.


"Another well-played game," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said."They made a couple of errors that cost them and, a lot oftimes in close games like that, that will swing something,whether it is a two-out walk or a misplay. Getting somemiddle-inning runs were huge then and Tony's add-on was big."

Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon each tossed a scoreless inning tobridge the gap between Webb and closer Jose Valverde, who workedaround a single from Aaron Miles in the ninth to post his 43rdsave in 50 chances.


"From spring training on, we all felt like we had a greatbullpen," Lyon said. "Everything is under a microscope thistime of the season. You have to have a short memory and forgetabout what has happened in the past and we have done a god jobof that. We just try to go out there and pitch as well as wecan and pitch to our strengths."


Albert Pujols had two hits and an RBI for the Cardinals (69-69),who missed out on an opportunity to force a three-way tie inthe NL Central when the Chicago Cubs (71-69) and MilwaukeeBrewers (71-69) both lost earlier in the day.


"It was a well-pitched game all the way to the end," Cardinalsmanger Tony La Russa said. "We had to scratch for runs. Therewere a couple of big blows, we each missed a rally or two. Itwas a tough game that went their way. Wainwright pitched wellenough to win but he was going against a tough guy like Webb.We couldn't do much with him."