Cardinals lose way in Pirate Fogg 3-1

ST. LOUIS -- Extra batting practice paid off in a big way for Craig Wilson.

Wilson went 4-for-4 -- his first career four-hit game -- with two RBIs, and rookie Josh Fogg pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 Friday night.

Wilson, who entered batting .234, spent some time with hitting instructor Dave Clark and raised his average 31 points to .265.

"Clarkie told me to do a couple of things and they worked," Wilson said. "Clarkie really worked his magic and it was on display."

Fogg faced the Cardinals for the second straight outing and fared a lot better in the rematch, allowing only J.D. Drew's eighth home run leading off the seventh.

Fogg (6-3) lasted just 4 1-3 innings last Sunday in Pittsburgh, giving up three homers in a 7-3 loss. In his two previous starts, Fogg allowed 11 earned runs in 10 innings.

"I went out with the same mental approach as the last time I faced these guys," Fogg said. "I went out, made good pitches, and got great defense behind me."

Cardinals starter Woody Williams (2-1) gave up three runs on 10 hits in seven innings -- his longest outing since coming off the disabled list May 15 after being out with a pulled muscle in his side.

"It wasn't an easy game for him," manager Tony La Russa said. "That's a quality start, but the other guy pitched better."

St. Louis had won all of his previous four starts this season and he's 9-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 16 starts with the Cardinals since an Aug. 2, 2001, trade from San Diego.

Williams allowed three runs on three hits in six innings at Pittsburgh in his last start, a 6-3 victory Sunday.

"It's always difficult, but at the same time that's all part of it," Williams said. "The last 3-to-4 years the schedule's been like that, maybe even longer than that. The bottom line is they beat me."

Wilson entered 3-for-22 (.136) against the Cardinals. He singled in the second, had an RBI single to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the third, singled in the sixth and hit an RBI double in the seventh to make it 3-0.

Jason Kendall, who had three hits, added a run-scoring single in the seventh for the Pirates. Mike Williams worked the ninth for his 16th save in 17 chances.

The Cardinals have lost two straight for the first time since May 5-7, when they dropped three in a row. Despite the mini-slump, they've won 16 of 21.

The Pirates have still won only five of their last 25 against the Cardinals. St. Louis took two of three last week in Pittsburgh.

Notes: Cardinals CF Jim Edmonds left for a pinch-hitter in the fourth with a sprained right wrist while sliding at the plate in the second. Edmonds was hurt trying to score from third on Kerry Robinson's shallow flyball to left in the second. He was listed as day-to-day. ... Fogg has gone at least six innings in eight of his 11 starts. ... Illinois football coach Ron Turner threw out the first pitch. ... The Pirates had 11 hits, their third straight game in double figures. But Brian Giles was 0-for-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch, ending a career-best 12-game hitting streak.