Cramps to Card, Bennett's home run part of win
Dontrelle Willis pitched seven innings to help Florida win its sixth straight game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS -- Chris Carpenter pitched eight sharp innings before leaving because of cramping, and seldom-used Gary Bennett hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth that sent the St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Saturday.
Carpenter held the Cubs to two hits, struck out five and walked one. He threw 100 pitches, and took the mound to start the ninth. But after throwing a few warmups, the Cardinals ace consulted with trainer Barry Weinberg and manager Tony La Russa and left.
The problem
Carpenter said his toes, forearms and calves were locking up even though it was not an especially warm day with the gametime temperature at 78 degrees. He had troubles with dehydration earlier in the season, leaving a game with cramps in his fingers.
Bennett also homered in his second straight three-hit game for the NL Central-leading Cardinals.
Preston Wilson singled off Roberto Novoa (2-1) with one out in the ninth and stole second. After Ronnie Belliard fouled out, Bennett singled to left-center field and Wilson scored easily.
Randy Flores (1-1) allowed a hit in the ninth.
Carpenter held the Cubs without a hit until Phil Nevin's opposite-field single to right with two outs in the fifth. The Cubs didn't advance a runner past first base until Nevin's 12th homer tied it at 1 with one out in the eighth.
Cubs reliever Bob Howry escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth that featured the second single of the game by Carpenter, a .132 hitter. Scott Rolen fouled out for the third out after Albert Pujols was intentionally walked.
Bennett hit his third homer, all coming in the last eight games, off Rich Hill with one out in the first.
CHICAGOST. LOUIS
abrhbiabrhbi
Pierre cf4010Miles ss4010
Bynum 2b4000Duncan lf3000
ARmrz 3b3000Tguchi lf0000
Barrett c3000Edmnd cf1000
JJones rf2000Pujols 1b3000
Nevin 1b3121Rolen 3b4000
Murton lf3000JEcrcn cf4010
Cedeno ss3000PrWlsn rf4110
RHill p2000Blliard 2b4000
Howry p0000GBnntt c4132
Pagan ph1000Crpnter p2020
Novoa p0000Flors p0000
Totals28131Totals33282
Chicago000000010--1
St. Louis001000001--2
Two outs when winning run scored.
DP--St. Louis 2. LOB--Chicago 1, St. Louis 7. HR--Nevin (12), GBennett (3). SB--PrWilson (8). S--Carpenter.
IPHRERBBSO
Chicago
RHill741102
Howry120011
Novoa L,2-12-321100
St. Louis
Carpenter821115
Flores W,1-1110000
WP--RHill. Umpires--Home, C.B. Bucknor; First, Adam Dowdy; Second, Wally Bell; Third, Mark Carlson. T--2:23. A--46,036.
Giants 4, Reds 1
SAN FRANCISCO -- Shea Hillenbrand homered for the second straight game for No. 100 in his career and Noah Lowry won back-to-back starts for the first time all season for the Giants.
Hillenbrand hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning to help San Francisco win for the 10th time in 13 games. The Giants pulled within three games of the Reds in the NL wild-card race.
David Ross hit his 18th home run in the sixth, snapping a stretch of 161/3 scoreless innings by San Francisco starters.
Cincinnati trails first-place St. Louis by two games in the NL Central. Bronson Arroyo (10-9) allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings for the Reds.
Lowry (7-7) gave up six hits and walked three in eight innings. Mike Stanton pitched the ninth for his third save in five chances.
CINCINNATISAN FRAN
abrhbiabrhbi
Freel rf4000Winn rf5110
Clayton ss4010Vizquel ss4110
Grf Jr. cf4010Hlnbrn 1b4122
EEcrcn 3b3010Drham 2b3010
Dunn lf4000MaSwy lf4100
Aurilia 1b4010Stanton p0000
Ross c3111SFinley cf3010
BPhllps 2b3010Feliz 3b3021
Arroyo p3000TGreen c3000
Bray p0000Lowry p3000
Belisle p0000Linden lf0000
Crmier p0000
JCastro ph1000
Totals33161Totals32483
Cincinnati000001000--1
San Francisco00011020x--4
E--Griffey Jr. (5), EEncarnacion (20), Durham (9), Feliz (15). DP--Cincinnati 1. LOB--Cincinnati 9, San Francisco 9. 2B--BPhillips (25), Winn (28). HR--Ross (18), Hillenbrand (5). CS--Freel (10). S--Ross.
IPHRERBBSO
Cincinnati
Arroyo L,10-9684446
Bray100001
Belisle2-300010
Cormier1-300000
San Francisco
Lowry W,7-7861133
Stanton S,3100001
Arroyo pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. Umpires--Home, Laz Diaz; First, Rick Reed; Second, Chris Guccione; Third, Ted Barrett. T--2:37. A--41,362.
Braves 10, Nationals 1
ATLANTA -- John Smoltz allowed one run and three hits in eight innings for the Braves.
Smoltz (12-6) won his sixth straight home start. Of the Braves' 11 home wins since July 3, six belong to Smoltz.
The Braves are only 27-34 at Turner Field for the second-worst home record, only slightly better than the Cubs' 27-36 mark.
Chipper Jones hit his 20th home run and Marcus Giles had three hits, stole a base and drove in two runs for Atlanta. Brian McCann had a two-run double in a four-run first inning.
Pedro Astacio (3-4) gave up six runs and eight hits with five walks in 22/3 innings for the Nationals.
WASHINGTONATLANTA
abrhbiabrhbi
ASrano lf3000MGiles 2b5132
RWgnr p0000Rnteria ss4010
Grybsk p0000TPena ss1100
Ward ph1000CJones 3b3222
FLopez ss2000Wckmn p0000
HMateo ss2110AJones cf2200
Zmrmn 3b4010McCnn c5112
NJhnsn 1b2000Frncur rf4011
MrAnd 1b1001Diaz lf1000
Kearns rf3010LaRche 1b3121
Vidro 2b3000Lngrhn lf3201
Church cf3010Smoltz p3010
Fick c3000Prado 3b0000
Astacio p1000
Schrder p0000
BCstro lf2000
Totals30141Totals3410119
Washington000000100--1
Atlanta40201003x--10
E--HMateo (1), NJohnson 2 (12). DP--Washington 1. LOB--Washington 3, Atlanta 10. 2B--HMateo (1), Church (11), MGiles (27), Renteria (29), McCann (23), LaRoche 2 (30). 3B--Kearns (2). HR--CJones (20). SB--MGiles (9). S--Smoltz. SF--MarAnderson, Langerhans.
IPHRERBBSO
Washington
Astacio L,3-42 2-386651
Schroder2 1-311012
RWagner100001
Gryboski223123
Atlanta
Smoltz W,12-6831107
Wickman110002
PB--Fick. Balk--Astacio. Umpires--Home, Mike Muchlinski; First, James Hoye; Second, Brian Runge; Third, Mike Winters. T--2:46. A--38,610.
Marlins 7, Brewers 2
MIAMI -- Dontrelle Willis pitched seven innings to help Florida win its sixth straight game.
Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs apiece to help Florida pull within four games of NL wild-card leader Cincinnati.
Cabrera doubled home two runs in the first to tie the team record for RBIs in a month with 30. Mike Jacobs hit his 17th home run for the Marlins.
Willis (9-10) limited Milwaukee to seven hits and two runs, giving him back-to-back victories for only the second time this season.
Milwaukee's Doug Davis (9-8) allowed seven runs in 32/3 innings, hiking his road ERA to 6.46.
MILWAUKEEFLORIDA
abrhbiabrhbi
BClark cf4120HaRmz ss4212
Cirillo 1b3021Uggla 2b3111
Grffnno 2b3110MiCbr 3b3112
BHall ss4010Wlnhm lf4000
Mench lf2001Herges p0000
Hllng p0000Mssngr p0000
Fildr ph1000Jacobs 1b3111
Gnzlz p0000Amzga cf0000
CHart rf4020CRoss cf3011
DaBell 3b4010Hrmida rf3210
Rivera c4000Tranor c3020
DDavis p1000Willis p2000
Turnbw p1000Helms 1b1000
Jenkins rf2000
Totals33292Totals29787
Milwaukee000101000--2
Florida31120000x--7
E--BClark (5), Hermida (8). DP--Florida 1. LOB--Milwaukee 7, Florida 6. 2B--BClark (12), CHart (5), HaRamirez (29), Uggla (23), MiCabrera (44), Hermida (19). 3B--BClark (2). HR--Jacobs (17). SB--Amezaga (12). CS--CHart (5). S--Willis. SF--Cirillo, Mench, HaRamirez.
IPHRERBBSO
Milwaukee
DDavis L,9-83 2-387723
Turnbow1 1-300021
Helling200012
Gonzalez100001
Florida
Willis W,9-10772217
Herges110001
Messenger110001
HBP--by Turnbow (MiCabrera). WP--Turnbow 2. Umpires--Home, Greg Gibson; First, Scott Barry; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Larry Vanover. T--2:50. A--30,017.
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