Cardinals finish off sweep of Arizona with 6-5 win

Anderson's pinch-hit homer in ninth inning lifted St. Louis.

By Bob Baum

The Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Marlon Anderson completed St. Louis' home-run binge in Arizona, and the Cardinals left town with a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks.

Anderson's pinch-hit homer off closer Matt Mantei in the ninth inning Sunday gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 6-5 victory.

"The last three games have been absolutely amazing," Anderson said. "I hope we can keep it up for a long time."

After opening the season 1-3 at home against Milwaukee, the Cardinals scored 29 runs on 41 hits in their sweep of the Diamondbacks, including 10 home runs and 16 doubles.

"They were red-hot," Arizona manager Bob Brenly said. "Everybody in their lineup was seeing the ball big, hitting the ball hard -- not just getting hits but hitting the ball in the seats. I don't think I've seen a home run display like that in a three-game series in a long time."

Roberto Alomar triggered a four-run Arizona seventh that tied it at 5. The 12-time All-Star fouled off four in a 10-pitch at bat, then singled in a run and made a heady base-running play that resulted in two more crossing the plate.

Mantei (0-1) came on in the ninth and Anderson hit a 1-2 pitch just over the right-field fence for his fourth career pinch-hit homer.

"It was basically stupidity on my part," Mantei said. "I threw a breaking-ball pitch to a breaking-ball hitter, and left it up in the zone."

Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen loaded the bases in the ninth with three walks -- including one intentional to Luis Gonzalez -- but got Alex Cintron on a grounder to earn his first save.

Not even Randy Johnson could cool off the Cardinals' bats.

Albert Pujols homered, doubled and drove in three runs off the Big Unit.

"I can't imagine there's a hotter team out there right now," Johnson said. "You just hope to contain them a little bit."

Johnson gave up five runs on eight hits. He struck out seven and walked four, all in the Cardinals' two-run fourth inning.

Marquis scattered four singles over six innings and left with a 5-1 lead.

"He deserved to win if we were going to win," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "That's irritating."

Reliever Ray King walked pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga to load the bases with no outs in the seventh. After Steve Finley's grounder forced a runner at home, Alomar fought his way to a 3-2 count, then singled to left to bring in a run.

With the bases still loaded, Gonzalez hit a slow roller to second baseman Tony Womack. Womack fielded it and went to tag Alomar, intending to toss it to first for an inning-ending double play.

But Alomar stopped in his tracks, then retreated toward first. Womack had to run him down as one run scored, then had the ball knocked free in the collision and another run crossed the plate. Gonzalez wound up at second.

"He didn't do anything cheap, dirty or illegal," Brenly said. "He did exactly what he's allowed to do as a base runner. That's what we teach our guys -- bump into the guy somehow and spin him away from the play so he can't make that relay throw to first base."

Womack saw it differently.

"He grabbed my arm," Womack said. "An elbow is one thing, but you can't grab someone's arm. We won the game. That's what mattered."

Mike Lincoln (2-0) relieved King and gave up an RBI single to Richie Sexson to tie it at 5-5.

Cardinals recall Hart

The Cardinals placed outfielder Roger Cedeno on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and recalled second baseman Bo Hart from Triple-A.

Cedeno, acquired from the New York Mets just before the start of the regular season, re-injured his strained left hamstring while chasing Danny Bautista's single in the eighth inning of Saturday night's 10-2 victory over Arizona. Cedeno was hitless in five at bats so far this season.

Hart batted .277 as a rookie last season after being called up from Memphis. He started in 68 games for St. Louis, 59 as the leadoff batter. But he was sent back to the minors just before the start of this season after the Cardinals acquired Tony Womack to start at second.