Albert Pujols usually wins games for the Cardinals with his bat, but he saved Wednesday's one-run win over Milwaukee with his glove.
With right-hander Jason Isringhausen wobbling as he tried to nail down his sixth save, Pujols leaped to his right and backhanded a line drive hit by catcher Jason Kendall for the second out in the ninth inning. If the ball had gone through, the hit would have scored the third run of the inning for the Milwaukee Brewers and tied the game at 5-5. "Fortunately, it was hit in (Pujols') direction," said manager Tony La Russa. "A foot to the side and the game's tied."
Right-hander Adam Wainwright was worthy of this win because he endured 115 pitches through 7 2/3 innings and because he hit his third career home run leading off the second inning.
Wainwright, the Cardinals' ace, is 2-1. "He was bound and determined to stay out there deep into the game," La Russa said.
While Isringhausen staggered to the save, left-hander Randy Flores performed his own form of rescue in the eighth. Facing dangerous first baseman Prince Fielder, who represented the tying run with two men on base, Flores fanned Fielder for the final out of the inning. Fielder had been 2 for 5 with a home run against Flores in their careers.
CARDINALS 5, BREWERS 4: The Cardinals remained tied with Arizona for the best record in the majors at 11-4 as they won their seventh straight game at home Wednesday following a first-day loss. RF Skip Schumaker, who had struggled in the first 10 days of the season as the leadoff man, scored twice, including hitting his first homer of the season. Besides Schumaker, three other Cardinals had two hits, including winning pitcher Adam Wainwright.
