[April 17, 2008]

Wainwright helps Cardinals to victory

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) ST. LOUIS _ The Cardinals anointed Adam Wainwright part of their "core" last month by signing him to a potential six-year contract extension.

Wainwright has wasted no time validating their belief.

Providing a quality start and a difference-making home run, Wainwright presented the Cardinals a commanding start and the NL Central leaders withstood a harrowing ending for a 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.

Wainwright pushed for almost eight innings, allowing one earned run and five hits while protecting leads of 2-0, 3-1 and 5-2.

"It's a credit to his mind-set," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He just wills himself to keep going. That's huge."

"The important thing is not to get satisfied with what I've done, and keep it going," Wainwright said.

First baseman Albert Pujols provided a 2-0 lead by jerking a two-run, first-inning double, then saved the lead with a ninth-inning catch. Two bases-empty home runs _ one by Wainwright _ and third baseman Troy Glaus' fifth-inning RBI single provided just enough room for error.

The Cardinals withstood a ninth-inning scare after the Brewers shaved a 5-2 lead to one run against closer Jason Isringhausen. Consecutive RBI hits by J.J. Hardy and Craig Counsell put the tying run at second base for catcher Jason Kendall, who rifled a one-out shot toward right field. "I never thought Albert would be in no-man's land to make that play. But he was," Isringhausen said.

Pujols' backhand snare atoned for his ninth-inning misplay Saturday in San Francisco that cost Isringhausen a 24th consecutive save. "I just told him we're even now," Isringhausen joked.

Isringhausen closed his sixth save in seven chances by getting Rickie Weeks to bounce back to the pitcher for an unassisted putout.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are playing ahead in numerous ways. Wainwright threw nine pitches in the first inning, nine more in the second. More and more adept at forcing opposing starters into heavy pitch counts, the Cardinals tortured Brewers righthander Carlos Villanueva (1-2) with five runs on 109 pitches in 4 2/3 innings. Villanueva needed 44 pitches to clear the home first inning, including a 17-pitch walk of Rick Ankiel extended by seven foul balls on a 3-2 count.

"Any time you get to 3-2 you don't want the umpire to take the at-bat away from you by a called Strike 3," Ankiel said of his marathon plate appearance. "You go up there and grind out pitches that are close and get something you can put a good swing on or Ball 4."

The Cardinals have scored first in all eight home games. They are 9-1 so far when scoring first and 8-1 when scoring more than three runs. "It's a great way to play. You get the lead, the percentages are on your side, you can do a lot of things," La Russa said.

"Scoring first is something Tony impresses on us," said right fielder Skip Schumaker, whose homer leading off the fifth bumped the Cardinals' lead to 4-1. "It's a fact you win a majority of games when you score first, so it's something you pay attention to."

Wainwright's second-inning homer was good for a 3-0 lead, and Wainwright has proved himself a bulldog with the lead. Except for a ragged final inning in San Francisco last Thursday, he has minimized potential big innings.

The Brewers' most serious threat against him occurred in the sixth, when a leadoff walk was followed by a single and Schumaker's flub that put runners at second and third with none out. Wainwright's answer was a strikeout of Ryan Braun, an RBI ground ball by Prince Fielder and an inning-ending grounder from Bill Hall. "That's the important thing: not letting innings get out of hand," Wainwright said.

Since his opening day start was rained out after 2{ frames, Wainwright has given his team eight, seven and 7 2/3 innings. His latest win increased the Cardinals' home winning streak to seven games, longest since 2005. The Cardinals play 21 home games before May 5, offering new meaning to the term "unbalanced schedule."

"Wainwright's our ace right now and he's got an ace's mentality. He's determined not to come out before the other guy," Isringhausen said. "He's shown what he can do. That's why they gave him that extension (in spring training), because they believe he's special. That's what we believe, too."

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