Troy Glaus got things started for St. Louis with a long homer over the center-field wall. The Cardinals slugger ended the game with a squeaker that barely cleared the fence in left field.
“I’ve lost a couple of homers in that area that I thought maybe could go,” Glaus said. “Whether it goes 20 rows deep or 2 feet over the fence, as long as they don’t catch it, it’s all good.”
It sure is, especially when they win games. Glaus’ second homer Wednesday night with two outs in the ninth was the decisive blow, an inning after pinch-hitter Chris Duncan’s two-run shot tied it in the Cardinals’ 8-7 victory over the New York Mets.
Glaus’ fifth career game-winner came off rookie Carlos Muniz (0-1), a towering drive at which left fielder Endy Chavez made a leaping attempt.
“I jumped and it hit the advertising sign behind the wall,” Chavez said. “I did everything right, I just didn’t get to it. I thought for a second I might have had it.”
Ryan Franklin (3-2) worked a perfect ninth for the Cardinals, who have won two of the first three games in the four-game set.
In other NL games, it was: Philadelphia 7, Atlanta 3; Florida 4, Washington 2; Pittsburgh 9, Cincinnati 5; Los Angeles 4, Houston 1; Colorado 8, San Diego 1; Milwaukee 4, Arizona 3, and Chicago 6, San Francisco 5.
At St. Louis, Glaus’ three-run shot capped a four-run first against struggling Pedro Martinez. The multihomer game was Glaus’ first since July 16, 2007, at New York against the Yankees, and the 26th of his career. It was Glaus’ first game-winning homer since June 10, 2005, against the Royals, when he was with the Blue Jays.
Rick Ankiel hit his 17th homer in the fifth and flied out to the wall in center field before Glaus’ at-bat.
Duncan had been 0-for-12 as a pinch-hitter and 0-for-2 with strikeouts in both career at-bats against Pedro Feliciano before lining a first-pitch fastball well over the right-field wall to tie it at 7.
“Duncan just went up there swinging,” Mets interim manager Jerry Manuel said. “He just hung on over the plate.”
Meanwhile, Martinez has surrendered 17 runs on 22 hits in 15 innings in his last three starts. He settled in against the Cardinals, but only after a disastrous first inning in which he allowed hits to five of the first six batters.
“I know someday it has to stop,” Martinez said. “If I was to quit right now, I’d be a coward. You have a lot more chances of seeing me quit when things are going smooth than right now.”
Phillies 7, Braves 3
Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer and Pat Burrell added a solo shot as Philadelphia survived a ninth-inning scare to improve to 5-0 in Atlanta this season and 7-1 overall in the season series.
The Braves (40-45) fell a season-worst five games under .500 with their second straight loss in the series, despite homers from Chipper Jones and Ruben Gotay.
Adam Eaton (3-6) earned his first win in five starts.
Marlins 4, Nationals 2
At Miami, Florida’s Alfredo Amezaga hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning when play resumed after a 1 1/2-hour rain delay.
Charlie Manning (0-2) relieved starter Odalis Perez after the stoppage, and Amezaga hit his second homer of the season and 11th in 1,106 career at-bats.
Ricky Nolasco (9-4) improved to 4-0 in his last five starts.
Pirates 9, Reds 5
At Cincinnati, Xavier Nady homered twice and drove in four runs to lead Pittsburgh, which learned closer Matt Capps will be gone for about eight weeks with bursitis and tightness in his pitching shoulder.
Denny Bautista (1-0), obtained in a trade with Detroit last week, got the victory in relief of John Van Benschoten, who gave up two homers to Jay Bruce.
Dodgers 4, Astros 1
At Houston, Hiroki Kuroda (4-6) threw seven shutout innings after coming off the disabled list, and Jeff Kent had two RBI doubles for Los Angeles.
Carlos Lee homered in the ninth off Cory Wade for Houston’s only run.
The Dodgers scored all their runs off Runelvys Hernandez (0-2).
Rockies 8, Padres 1
At Denver, Garrett Atkins, Troy Tulowitzki and Yorvit Torrealba homered for Colorado, which scored seven runs in the first three innings against Randy Wolf (5-8).
Ubaldo Jimenez (3-8) allowed five hits and one run in 6 1-3 innings for the win.
Chase Headley homered for the Padres, who have lost 15 of 18.
Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 3
At Phoenix, Mike Cameron singled home Russell Branyan with one out in the top of the ninth for Milwaukee.
The Diamondbacks, who left 12 men on base and had two runners thrown out at home, lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
David Riske (1-1) earned the win despite surrendering a tying homer to Justin Upton in the eighth.
Cubs 6, Giants 5
At San Francisco, Mike Fontenot hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning for visiting Chicago.
Jim Edmonds also homered for the Cubs, who have scored 16 runs in the first three games of this four-game series.
Carlos Marmol (2-3) picked up the win despite giving up a tying three-run homer to Ray Durham in the seventh.
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