Tuesday, June 05, 2001
Benes gets well on Reds
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
ST. LOUIS — Andy Benes put a dent in his unsightly 6.92 ERA.
Benes rebounded from an awful outing, allowing two runs in 6 1-3 innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Reds 5-2 Monday night.
“Anytime you have a really bad game, it's irritating,” Benes said. “That's the way baseball is. They pay both sides and sometimes we tend to forget that. Tonight was better on my part.”
The Cardinals took three of four from the Reds to salvage a 4-4 homestand and won the finale even though Jim Edmonds, rookie Albert Pujols and Mark McGwire didn't start.
“It's like winning a doubleheader, really,” manager Tony La Russa said. “We won the game and guys that really need to play, played it like the seventh game of the World Series.”
Benes (4-4) gave up six hits, struck out two and walked none in his longest outing of the season to lower his ERA to 6.49. In his previous start, Benes struck out the side in the first against Milwaukee but gave up nine runs on 10 hits in 3 2-3 innings.
“We were chasing the high fastball all night,” said Pokey Reese, who was 0-for-3. “He really wasn't anything special, but he just had our number.”
Dave Veres got a double play ball on his second pitch of the ninth for his ninth save in nine chances. The bullpen allowed one hit in 2 2-3 scoreless innings and threw 12 scoreless innings the last three games.
McGwire, who walked as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, has been starting every other day and he played Sunday. Edmonds is in an 8-for-60 slump and Pujols, while 5-for-13 in the series after getting a single and double following a double switch, has been a bit out of sync the last few days.
Without them, Placido Polanco played third base in place of Pujols and batted third, going 3-for-4 with an RBI triple in the fifth that snapped a 2-2 tie. Kerry Robinson, subbing in center field for Edmonds, had two hits, scored twice and had a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Craig Paquette, who got a rare start at first base, had an RBI single in the third.
“We had a great time out there,” Robinson said. “We have talent on this team. Everybody on the bench likes to contribute.”
J.D. Drew, batting cleanup for the first time in his career, had a run-scoring groundout in the third. Fernando Vina added an RBI triple in the seventh and Pujols singled and scored in the seventh.
Cards Notes: The Cardinals' Bobby Bonilla served a one-game suspension for his actions when benches cleared against the Brewers May 28. ... Benes was 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA against the Reds last season and is 14-11 against them for his career.
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Benes gets well on Reds
