ST. LOUIS -- The Cubs are still 12-1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis in
the big picture, but they will fondly remember this picturesque snapshot Friday
night as they try to recapture their respectability.
After tying the game in the ninth, the Cubs won 5-4 in 14 innings. Juan
Pierre led off the inning with a double and Neifi Perez's sacrifice bunt sent
him to third. After an intentional walk to Michael Barrett, Todd Walker's ground
out to first permitted Pierre to score the decisive run.
It was certainly an encouraging start to a 10-game trip. But the Cardinals,
who left 17 men on base, helped the Cubs win.
CUBS
5
CARDINALS
4
The Cubs put themselves in position to score in the ninth by taking a couple
of walks from St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen and loading the bases. But it
shouldn't be forgotten that they scored two runs to tie at 4 because of third
baseman Scott Rolen's fielding error.
Rolen's two-run single in the seventh lifted St. Louis into a 3-2 lead. But
Rolen's ninth-inning messup negated that when Walker's one-out ground ball
zipped under Rolen's glove at third and between his legs into left. Walker was
in the middle of the action with just two routine ground balls.
Already having hit into four double plays in the game, the Cubs escaped a
fifth one in the ninth and carried the fight against the Cardinals into extra
innings, during which reliever Scott Eyre turned in a gutsy two innings.
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the 10th after two were out on three
straight singles, only to come away empty when David Eckstein lined out sharply
to third baseman Aramis Ramirez.
Eckstein had another bases-full chance in the 12th. Manager Dusty Baker went
to closer Ryan Dempster, the seventh reliever he had used in the game and the
eventual winner. Dempster got Eckstein to ground into a forceout at second,
which raised the Cardinals' left-on-base total to 15, four more than the Cubs.
Down by a run, the Cubs had the bases loaded with one out in the eighth after
singles by Ramirez, Jacque Jones and a walk to pinch hitter John Mabry. But
reliever Braden Looper got Ronny Cedeno, who had made a major baserunning
mistake in the seventh, to bounce into the Cubs' fourth double play of the game.
Reliever Bob Howry replaced starter Sean Marshall in the seventh with the
Cubs winning 2-1 and a man on first with one out. Howry struck out Eckstein
before Hector Luna's double to left put Cardinals at second and third with two
out.
Albert Pujols was intentionally walked to load the bases, drawing loud booing
from the Cardinals' season-high attendance of 45,799 at Busch Stadium. The boos
turned to cheering when Rolen doubled home a pair of runs over Ramirez at third
to put St. Louis ahead 3-2.
The Cardinals didn't score against Marshall until the sixth, and even then he
limited the damage in a strong start for him. St. Louis punched home an
important insurance run in the eighth off reliever Scott Williamson to provide
them with a two-run lead.
Jacque Jones continued to drive balls with authority. He lined a homer
leading off the fifth against Sidney Ponson for his third homer in his last
three games.
Pierre picked up his fifth RBI later in the fifth. He singled home Cedeno,
who narrowly beat center fielder So Taguchi's throw. Taguchi is playing center
with regular Jim Edmonds sidelined by an abdominal strain, because he is unable
to run.
Cedeno didn't fare as well on the bases in the seventh. After Pierre's
one-out single pushed him to third, Cedeno broke for home when pitcher Randy
Flores threw to first as Pierre retreated to the base.
That allowed first baseman Pujols to throw out Cedeno at third as he tried to
scramble back from his mistake.
