ROUNDUP
St. Louis manager Tony La Russa wasn't too optimistic as the Cardinals went into the last of the ninth trailing the Chicago Cubs by two runs yesterday with Chicago closer Kerry Wood out on the mound.
“I didn't like our chances,” La Russa said. “(Wood) has so many weapons. This guy is really good.”
So was La Russa's bunch on this day.
Outfielder Rick Ankiel slapped a two-run, two-out single to right field to cap a three-run rally and lead the host Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Cubs.
The win brought the Cardinals (50-39) to within 2½ games of the first-place Cubs (52-36) in the National League Central.
Ankiel, who had had three hits and three RBI, also added a solo homer in the sixth inning.
St. Louis won its fifth win in the last eight outings. Wood (4-2) blew his fifth save in 27 tries.
“I was just looking for a pitch to drive up the middle,” Ankiel said. “Kerry Wood is tough; he throws hard.”
St. Louis reliever Kyle McClellan (1-3) picked up his first major league victory with two perfect innings of relief.
Other games of note:
METS 9, PHILLIES 4: Pinch-hitter Brian Schneider lined a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the New York Mets rallied against the majors' best bullpen to win in Philadelphia. Schneider's two-run double came with two outs.
ASTROS 6, BRAVES 1: Mark Loretta had three doubles and drove in four runs and, with Ty Wigginton batting leadoff for the first time this season, the Astros scored four times in the first two innings at Atlanta.
BLUE JAYS 7, ANGELS 5: Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer, Alex Rios went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three stolen bases, and Toronto beat the error-plagued Angels at Anaheim. Halladay (10-6) gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings, struck out seven and recorded only three of his outs on flyballs to the outfield.
YANKEES 2, RED SOX 1: Mariano Rivera pitched himself in and out of trouble at Yankee Stadium, escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth inning and preserving a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. After Mike Mussina (11-6) pitched six shutout innings, Rivera took over in the ninth with a 2-0 lead. The Red Sox quickly scored a run and were poised to get more, but Rivera struck out Coco Crisp, got Jason Varitek on a pop-up and fanned Julio Lugo for his 23rd save.
RAYS 3, ROYALS 0: Andy Sonnanstine pitched seven strong innings, Ben Zobrist homered for the third game in a row and Tampa Bay won its sixth straight.
WHITE SOX 6, ATHLETICS 1: Gavin Floyd pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings to get his 10th victory and Nick Swisher, Brian Anderson and Alexei Ramirez homered in Chicago's win over Oakland. Oakland had captured the first two games of the four-game series in Chicago to cool off the White Sox.
