Morris hangs on, pushes aside Cubs

CHICAGO -- Once Matt Morris escaped the first inning, he was too tough for the Chicago Cubs.

"Later in the game I usually get better if I can make it that far," Morris said after pitching the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 victory with eight strong innings Wednesday.

"It was important to go as long as I can."

After allowing three hits in the first, including Sammy Sosa's major league leading 14th homer, Morris allowed just one more in the second and then pitched six hitless innings.

"It was one of those 'have to' games where that early adversity hit us. I just wanted to lock it down and get some innings," Morris said.

Morris (5-2) walked Sosa intentionally to put runners at first and second in the eighth before Albert Pujols made a nice running catch of Fred McGriff's long liner to end the threat and preserve the one-run cushion.

"I didn't say anything to Pujols, I just hugged him," Morris said.

"I never like getting booed about intentionally walking Sammy, but that's the situation. Don't let him beat you. I almost did in the first. We could have lost the game 2-1. We battled back and I wasn't going to let it happen again."

Morris (5-2), who won his first four starts this season, walked four and struck out 10 to get his first victory in three weeks.

"Morris was throwing 97, 99 (mph) and I got one pitch," said Sosa, who walked twice, giving him seven bases on balls in the three-game series. "They pitched me so tough. They didn't want me to swing the bat."

Jason Isringhausen struck out two around a walk in the ninth inning to earn his sixth save in seven chances.

St. Louis avoided a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field by capitalizing on the wildness of Cubs starter Juan Cruz.

Cruz (0-6) walked six, hit two batters and allowed two hits in four innings while becoming the first Cubs pitcher since Mike Morgan in 1994 to lose his first six decisions. He's made nine starts since his last victory last Sept. 26.

"The losing is weighing on his mind. He's never been through anything like this and it's probably getting to him," Cubs manager Don Baylor said, adding he didn't know if the 23-year-old right-hander would stay in the rotation.

"I don't know what the problem is. I had no control today. Walks and then walks," said Cruz, whose ERA is still only 3.25.

Cruz did have the final Cubs hit of the game, a two-out single in the second inning.

The Cardinals pushed across a run in the first after loading the bases on a single, walk and hit batter when Tino Martinez delivered a sacrifice fly.

In the fourth, St. Louis took the 3-2 lead it didn't relinquish.

Edgar Renteria walked, stole second, and scored the tying run on Mike DeFelice's grounder that got by third baseman Mark Bellhorn for a single.

Cruz then hit Placido Polanco and nearly did the same to Morris before he moved both runners up with a sacrifice. Fernando Vina then hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly.

Notes: Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo was ejected in the top of the fourth inning, by second base umpire John Shulock, and replaced by Joe Pettini. The Cardinals had first and third at the time and Oquendo was arguing that Cruz balked. ... Cruz, who has walked 26 and hit four batters in 36 innings this season, labored through his four innings. He threw 88 pitches, only 42 for strikes. ... Pregame rain wiped out batting practice. The game-time temperature was just 53 degrees. ... Cubs reliever Donovan Osborne had to leave the game in the sixth with a strained right side after he delivered a pitch to Jim Edmonds. ... Morris is 6-2 in his career against the Cubs, including 3-2 at Wrigley Field.