Cardinals nudge Red Sox in 13 innings

BOSTON -- Jim Edmonds hit an opposite-field, three-run homer in the 13th inning, and the Cardinals beat the Boston Red Sox 8-7 Thursday after wasting a pair of late leads.

Edmonds also had a solo homer and Edgar Renteria went 5-for-6 for the Cardinals, who took two of three from the Red Sox in the first meeting between the teams since St. Louis won the 1967 World Series 4-3.

Nomar Garciaparra hit a tying triple in the ninth inning and a tying single in the 10th inning.

Kerry Robinson singled off Ramiro Mendoza (1-3) in the 13th, and Miguel Cairo sacrificed. Albert Pujols was intentionally walked one out later, and Edmonds homered high into the seats above the Green Monster in left for an 8-5 lead.

Trot Nixon's RBI single off Esteban Yan (2-0) cut it to 8-6 in the bottom half. With runners on first and third, Bill Mueller failed to sacrifice before grounding into a double play that scored a run. Yan then walked Jeremy Giambi and intentionally walked Jason Varitek, putting runners on first and second. Johnny Damon, who went 1-for-8, then flied to short right, ending the game after 4 hours, 33 minutes.

St. Louis outhit Boston 14-13.

Cardinals starter Garrett Stephenson allowed just three hits over seven innings, but the Red Sox rallied in the ninth against Cal Eldred.

Jeremy Giambi opened the inning with a walk, and Varitek pinch hit and homered, pulling Boston to 3-2. Todd Walker singled, pinch-runner Damian Jackson stole second and Garciaparra tripled to tie it.

Eldred intentionally walked Manny Ramirez and Kevin Millar. Steve Kline came in and got Nixon to foul to first and Mueller to line to right.

Pinch-hitter J. D. Drew had a two-run homer in the 10th inning before Boston retied it against Jeff Fassero in the bottom half.

Damon reached on a two-out infield hit, and pinch-hitter David Ortiz followed with a double high off the left-field wall. Garciaparra then singled to tie it at 5.

Ramirez and Millar were intentionally walked, but Trot Nixon bounced into a force play.

Boston, which had a season-high 19 hits in a 13-1 win Wednesday, twice left the bases loaded earlier in the game.

Stephenson, winless in his previous four starts, walked six and struck out six in his 122-pitch effort. St. Louis pitchers walked 14 in all.

Boston, which entered with a .321 average at home, loaded the bases in the first on a double by Walker, and two-out walks to Ramirez and Millar before Trot Nixon struck out.

In the fourth, Stephenson walked the bases full but got Damon to pop to shortstop, ending the inning.

An error by left fielder Eduardo Perez failed to help the Red Sox in the fifth. Perez dropped Walker's leadoff fly ball to the warning track for a two-base error. One out later, Ramirez was pitched around for a walk, but Millar grounded out and Nixon fouled to first.

St. Louis scored single runs in the third and eighth innings against Tim Wakefield.

Wakefield, who left early last Friday at Milwaukee after being hit with a pitch on the right ankle, allowed two runs -- one earned -- and six hits in six innings.

Cairo singled leading off the third, stole second, advanced on a groundout and scored on Albert Pujols' grounder.

Renteria doubled to open fourth, moved to third on Perez's grounder to second and scored on Doug Mirabelli's passed ball.

Edmonds homered off Alan Embree in the eighth.

Noteworthy

Wakefield made his 200th start, the 10th pitcher in Red Sox history to reach that mark. ... Cairo's stolen base was his first this season. ... Renteria made a nice play on Giambi's grounder up the middle in the sixth and fired across his body to get the out. ... Pujols was 0-for-5, stopping his 12-game hitting streak. ... Jason Isringhausen made his first appearance of the season after missing 61 games following rehab for shoulder surgery.