Cards nip D-Backs, reduce magic number

ST. LOUIS -- Jim Edmonds tripled home the winning run in the 10th inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 Friday night to reduce their magic number for clinching the NL Central to three.

Albert Pujols walked off Scott Service (1-1) starting the 10th and easily scored on Edmonds' drive to the wall in right-center. Edmonds has 110 RBIs, matching his career best, in 2001.

Mike Matheny and John Mabry homered for the Cardinals, who won a series opener for the first time since Sept. 3. The Cardinals, who stopped Arizona's three-game winning streak, have lost three straight series for the first time all season and won for just the fourth time in 10 games.

A day after making a season-high four errors, the Cardinals improved some. Still, right fielder Larry Walker lost a ball in the lights for a double in the seventh and Woody Williams balked in a run later in the inning.

Jason Isringhausen (4-2) allowed a tying RBI double in the ninth to pinch-hitter Alan Zinter, who had been 1-for-15 as a pinch hitter coming in. Isringhausen blew a save for the seventh time in 49 chances.

Woody Williams, who has lost just once in 17 starts since June 13, gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings. Williams dominated early, not allowing a hit until Josh Kroeger lined a ball off the right-field wall in the fifth, but his bullpen blew a lead for him for the third straight start.

Matheny hit his fifth homer off Brandon Webb leading off the third. Webb and manager Al Pedrique were ejected after Webb hit Williams on the next pitch. Williams' bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 2-0.

Shea Hillenbrand had an RBI single in the sixth, but Mabry homered off Steve Sparks leading off the sixth for a 3-1 lead.

Williams balked in a run in the seventh. Three-quarters of the way through his delivery, Williams appeared to scrape his side with the ball and he made an awkward toss to the plate.

Notes: Diamondbacks reliever Lance Cormier made the defensive play of the game with a behind-the-back stab of Edmonds' smash up the middle to end the third. ... Doug DeVore is 3-for-17 as a pinch hitter after striking out in the sixth. ... Tony Womack is batting .357 (15-for-42) after singling in the eighth, extending his hitting streak to 10. ... Edgar Renteria was hitless in three at-bats with a walk and is in a 1-for-28 slump.