Cards lose game, Rolen

ST. LOUIS -- Hee-Seop Choi hit a go-ahead, three-run homer after he withstood a collision that forced Scott Rolen from the game with a sprained left shoulder in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 9-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Jeff Kent also homered and Cesar Izturis had two hits and two RBIs, helping the Dodgers end a six-game losing streak at Busch Stadium, counting the first round of the postseason last year.

Choi drove in four runs for the Dodgers, who squandered an early three-run lead but erased a four-run deficit with a six-run sixth against Matt Morris and reliever Kevin Jarvis (0-1).

Rolen, who hit a two-run shot in the fourth, left in the fifth after a violent collision with Choi at first base and was to have precautionary X-rays. Rolen crashed into Choi after grounding out to pitcher Scott Erickson, whose throw pulled the first baseman into Rolen's path.

Rolen, who separated his left shoulder in the 2002 playoffs, left the field holding his upper left arm, and was replaced at third base by Abraham Nunez.

Reggie Sanders homered twice and had four RBIs for the Cardinals, who have homered five times in the first two games of the four-game series. Albert Pujols had an RBI single and a sacrifice fly that cut the gap to 9-8 in the sixth, giving him six RBIs in the series. But he grounded into an inning-ending double play against Giovanni Carrara with runners on first and second in the eighth.

Rolen and Sanders hit consecutive homers in the fourth to tie it at 3. Sanders capped a four-run fifth with a three-run shot, his ninth, to put the Cardinals ahead 7-3.

Wilson Alvarez (1-0) got one out in the fifth to earn the win. Yhency Brazoban got three outs for his 10th save in 11 chances.

Kent hit his eighth homer leading off the sixth against Morris. Izturis had a two-run single with two outs off Jarvis, and Choi hit his sixth homer as the Dodgers batted around. With left-hander Randy Flores warming up, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa elected to let the right-handed Jarvis face switch-hitting Izturis and left-handed batters Choi and J.D. Drew in succession, and only Drew was retired.

Erickson lasted 4 2-3 innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits to hike his ERA to 7.26. Morris lasted five-plus innings and gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits.

Notes: David Eckstein was 3-for-4 with a walk and is 18-for-50 (.360) during an 11-game hitting streak. ... Izturis has 16 multihit games, tied with Ichiro Suzuki for second-best in the major leagues and one behind Johnny Damon of the Red Sox. ... Rolen is 9-for-18 against Erickson with three RBIs. ... Entering the game, Choi had been a .122 career hitter against the Cardinals with one homer and three RBIs. ... Cardinals C Einar Diaz was charged with an error when the ball popped out of his glove while trying to make a tag on Milton Bradley in the fourth after Jason Phillips' single. Diaz has started the last two games after Yadier Molina sprained his left ankle.