Recap: Cincinnati vs. St. Louis
Sports Network | August 15, 2008
Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Rick Ankiel hit a two-run home run, and Brad Thompson was effective in five innings, as the St. Louis Cardinals topped Cincinnati, 5-3, in the first of three games with the Reds.
Thompson (5-2) surrendered three runs -- two earned -- on three hits, with one walk and four strikeouts. It was only Thompson's fourth start of the season, and first since June 19.
Albert Pujols finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, while Jason LaRue drove in two for the Cardinals, who have won three in a row.
Bronson Arroyo (10-10) gave up all five St. Louis runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 frames, and absorbed the loss for the second consecutive start.
Chris Dickerson hit his first career home run as part of a 2-for-4 day for the Reds, who have dropped eight of 10, and 16 of their last 20 overall.
Ryan Ludwick got on board in the first inning for St. Louis with a one-out double, and two batters later Ankiel crushed his 23rd home run of the season to right-center field for a 2-0 Cardinals lead.
Dickerson, though, cut that advantage in half with a leadoff shot in the home first. Since making his MLB debut on August 12, all six of Dickerson's hits have gone for extra-bases -- the homer, one triple and four doubles.
The teams swapped runs again in the second frame. Felipe Lopez led off with a single and LaRue followed with a walk. After a strikeout and pop out, Skip Schumaker managed a single to left that plated Lopez.
But the Reds got the run right back. Javier Valentin doubled to start the home second and an Edwin Encarnacion single put runners on the corners. Corey Patterson's sacrifice fly to right brought in the run to make it 3-2.
St. Louis loaded the bases in the top of the third with one out -- via a Pujols ground-rule double, Troy Glaus single and Lopez walk. LaRue sent a grounder to second that plated Pujols, extending the Cardinals' lead to two.
Patterson's baserunning helped Cincinnati score again in the fifth. He walked with one out, stole second and went to third on LaRue's throwing error. Patterson then scored when Ryan Hanigan sent a grounder to third. Glaus came home with the throw, but LaRue didn't appear to apply the tag as Patterson slid under his glove.
But LaRue made up for the gaffe in the sixth when his sacrifice fly plated Lopez, who led off with a triple.
St. Louis improved to 36-20 on the road this season, and the .560 winning percentage is best in the National League...The Cardinals left eight runners on base, while the Reds stranded three...St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter was placed back on the 15-day disabled list Friday, retroactive to August 11, with a right posterior shoulder strain. Carpenter was in the midst of his third start of the season Sunday when the right-hander left in the sixth inning. The oft-injured Carpenter has been sidelined since early last season following Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. He was coming off back-to- back no-decisions before suffering yet another setback...In a related move, the Cardinals activated outfielder Brian Barton from the 15-day DL. He was 0-for-1 in a pinch-hitting appearance Friday.
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