MLB Invests in First Indian-Born Players
The Pittsburgh Pirates made news in two new catagories this season Read more...
Final Score: St. Louis 6 - Arizona 8
Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Stephen Drew hit for the cycle as part of a five-hit day while three other Arizona players homered to give the Diamondbacks an 8-6 comeback victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening game of a three-game series at Chase Field.
"(I am) kind of in awe," Drew said. "Today we were behind, but everybody pulled together and contributed. To hit for the cycle is fine but it wouldn't have meant anything if we didn't win."
Drew's cycle coupled with Adrian Beltre's cycle for the Seattle Mariners Monday night mark the second time in Major League Baseball history that two players have hit for the cycle on the same day. The first was on September 17, 1920, when Bobby Veach of the Detroit Tigers and George Burns of the New York Giants both accomplished the feat.
Adam Dunn, Chris Young and Mark Reynolds all homered while new addition David Eckstein went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, as the Diamondbacks won for only the second time in eight games.
"After losing two tough games to the Dodgers, in not the greatest fashion in the world, to be able to respond when we were down, it was a great comeback," said Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin. "There was a lot going on, a lot of contributions from everybody on the roster. Drew had a decent game so it was (good) not only to win the game but to come back and get everybody involved."
The win keeps Arizona 2 1/2 games in front of Los Angeles for the NL West lead after the Dodgers downed San Diego Monday night.
Randy Johnson struggled in his outing, giving up four homers, five runs and six hits in only 3 2/3 innings of work while striking out eight and walking three. Chad Qualls (3-8) got the win after throwing one scoreless inning.
Brandon Lyon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save of the season.
Joel Pineiro allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in five innings, with three strikeouts. Kyle McClellan (2-7) took the loss after giving up three runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief work.
"You can't lose a game like this," said Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. "We made too many mistakes to win a game like this. We also missed a chance to put it away with Johnson struggling. We could have scored some more."
Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Joe Mather and Felipe Lopez all swatted homers in the loss. Cesar Izturis added three hits as the Cardinals dropped their fifth game out of the last six.
The loss coupled with a Brewers loss Monday kept St. Louis 6 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card spot.
After Ron Villone walked Dunn to start the home sixth, he was lifted for McClellan. The reliever didn't fare very well, as Reynolds crushed the first pitch he saw into the left field seats, tying the game at six.
The Diamondbacks took their first lead of the game in the seventh. Pinch- hitter Jeff Salazar singled off Villone, and Drew hit a ground-rule double to complete the cycle and put two runners in scoring position. Eckstein took the very next pitch to right field, an RBI single to give Arizona a 7-6 lead.
Dunn walked to load the bases, and Russ Springer was brought in to get out of the jam. After striking out Reynolds, Springer unloaded a wild pitch to plate Drew for a two-run advantage that held up for the final two innings.
Molina gave the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage, leading off the second with his sixth home run of the season. Two batters later Mather crushed his eighth homer of the year for a 2-0 lead.
Dunn got one of the runs back in the home half of the inning, blasting his 35th homer of the year off Pineiro.
The Cardinals widened their lead in the third. Ryan Ludwick doubled, and Pujols followed with a two-run shot, his 30th of the season. Lopez added a solo homer with two outs in the frame for a 5-1 cushion.
Arizona scored one in the third. Drew led off with a triple and Eckstein hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2. Young homered with one out in the fourth to cut the deficit to two.
Drew added yet another solo home run, hitting his 16th of the season with one out in the fifth.
St. Louis got to Jon Rauch in the sixth. With two outs, Izturis singled and Ludwick doubled deep to center to plate the runner and give the team a 6-4 lead.
Four bowl games and the National Championship Game are consi... See More...
Find NC State basketball tickets at TickCo and watch the college basketball season wrap up with Final Four tickets!
The Pittsburgh Pirates made news in two new catagories this season Read more...
Sports betting has evolved a long way since the days of shady bars, smoky casino rooms Read more...
Sportsbook Directory | Casinos Directory | Poker Room Directory | Racebook Directory | Partners Directory