• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Torres gets out of jam to give Snell first win

Apr 17, 2007 - 5:14 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Albert Pujols broke out of his slump a day too early.

Salomon Torres got Pujols to pop up with the bases loaded to seal a 3-2 Pittsburgh Pirates victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols hit two home runs and drove in five runs Sunday in a 10-2 win over Milwaukee but could not deliver in the clutch against the Cardinals.

The shaky ninth inning by Torres almost spoiled another solid performance from Ian Snell (1-1). Snell allowed just one run and three hits in seven innings, striking out six, to help the Pirates snap their four-game losing streak.

"That's the ultimate situation that any closer can be in," said Torres, who has saved each of the Pirates' five wins. "Finishing with the best hitter in the game, bases loaded, being able to bear down and keep your composure and your concentration, I was very, very calm.

"Everyone knows how dangerous he is and I just let the sinker do the job. Boy, I was excited when I saw the pop-up."

Two Pittsburgh relievers combined for an inning before Torres worked around an error, a single and a hit batsman to load the bases before getting Pujols to pop out for his fifth save.

Snell had been winless despite allowing just three runs in 13 innings through his first two starts. The righthander, who led the Pirates in victories and strikeouts in 2006, was a tough-luck loser to the Cardinals last week when he allowed just one run in seven innings in a 3-0 loss.

"I went out there confident today," said Snell, who recorded first-pitch strikes to 20-of-28 batters. "Nobody's going to stop me, nobody's going to beat me. I'd just bear down in situations, I gave up one run and walked a couple people, but I did enough for my team to win the game."

Snell retired 12 in a row before walking catcher Yadier Molina in the fifth inning. He came right back and struck out pinch hitter Preston Wilson to end the frame.

Xavier Nady snapped out of a 5-for-22 slump with a bases-loaded two-run single in a three-run first inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

"I got a good count, three and one," Nady said. "I was just looking for something that I could maybe drive, hit hard, fortunately enough I got a fastball to hit and it snuck in there."

Scott Rolen had two hits and Adam Kennedy and Jim Edmonds drove in runs for the Cardinals, who left 10 men on base. They loaded the bases in the seventh and ninth innings but scored just once.

"It was a game we almost stole," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "We really did a good job of hanging in there and we had some great chances late, but every pitch they got an out with was a quality pitch."

St. Louis starter Anthony Reyes (0-2) was erratic, walking two batters and throwing 47 pitches in the first inning before settling down and allowing three runs and six hits in five innings.