LVP: Prince Fielder (-.117)
Win Expectancy graph
Video highlights
You'd be excused for being skeptical that Jeff Suppan would shut out, if not exactly shut down, any lineup for seven innings, especially a lineup featuring Albert Pujols, but it happened. Pujols just missed a hanging curve from Suppan in the first inning with a runner on, but in general Soup pitched admirably.
At the plate, Corey Hart hit a solo homer off Adam Wainwright in the second inning; little did we know that it would be the only run scored by either team. Wainwright was excellent, allowing just three baserunners apart from the base-trotter over eight innings.
Aside from Hart's homer, the key play in the game came as Suppan was trying to gut out the bottom of the 7th. After two-out singles by 8th-hitting Joe Thurston and Wainwright put runners on the corners, Skip Schumaker hit a hot grounder that J.J. Hardy speared in the hole, throwing to second to force Wainwright and end the inning. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect 9th for his ninth save.