Sweep proves elusive for Cards

ST. LOUIS -- The Arizona Diamondbacks started and ended a six-game trip with victory celebrations in the clubhouse. Not bad for a team that set a franchise record with 14 straight road losses earlier in the season.

Rookie Barry Enright was the recipient Wednesday, after providing five solid innings in his major league debut as the fill-in for Edwin Jackson in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jackson provided the first highlight after his no-hitter Friday over the Rays, along with two extra days' rest to recover from a 149-pitch outing.

Before the game, Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said Enright would replace struggling Dontrelle Willis in the rotation Tuesday against the Cubs.

"Very surreal feeling," Enright said. "Just to be up on that mound, it's kind of everything you've worked for."

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols grounds out to end the sixth inning Wednesday in St. Louis. (JEFF ROBERSON ~ Associated Press)

Chris Young hit a two-run homer for Arizona, which avoided a three-game sweep. The Diamondbacks, who squandered a two-run ninth-inning lead in the opener, ended a run of 12 straight road losses to National League teams.

"After giving up that first one, you at least want to get out of here with one," Young said. "It makes the flight home a little bit better."

Both Enright (1-0) and the Cardinals' Jeff Suppan (0-4) went at least five innings in a game that lasted 3 hours, 53 minutes.

It's the longest nine-inning game at five-year-old Busch Stadium, topping the previous high by 15 minutes, and was the team's longest nine-inning game of the season by 33 minutes.

"It was a long game, but there were a lot of base runners on both sides and a lot of activity on both sides," Hinch said. "Us trying to scratch out a win to end this road trip, I'd stay out there six hours to do that."

Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan kicks his legs between pitches during the first inning.

Aaron Heilman worked around two singles in the ninth for his third save in seven chances.

Young was in a 1-for-18 slump and his career average at St. Louis was down to .125 before he hit his 14th homer for a 3-1 lead in the fifth that helped the Diamondbacks win on the road for the fourth time in 22 games and avoid getting swept for a ninth time. Cory Snyder is 8 for 14 against Suppan after getting a season-high three hits.

The 24-year-old Enright was a second-round draft pick in 2007 and was 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA at Class AA Mobile, earning the nod as the sub for Jackson, who makes his next start Friday at home against the Dodgers.

Enright said nerves were a factor in the first, when he was "just trying not to let my knees knock too much" and gave up an RBI triple to Matt Holliday. Otherwise he frustrated the Cardinals, who stranded five runners in scoring position against the rookie, who allowed four hits and four walks and left with a 3-1 lead.

"He had a lot of adrenaline, a lot of excitement," Hinch said. "And I thought he managed that the best he could. He'll be able to go deeper into games as he gets a little settled, but for a major league debut against a good lineup, that was pretty impressive."

Suppan lasted 5 2/3 innings and 109 pitches, both highs for him in four starts since rejoining St. Louis. But he couldn't close out innings, with Young's homer and Rusty Ryal's RBI single in the sixth both coming with two outs.