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Wainwright, Encarnacion lift Cards past Phillies

Jun 23, 2007 - 10:48 PM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Adam Wainwright ended his home struggles at the expense of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wainwright worked six effective innings and Juan Encarnacion belted a three-run homer as the St. Louis Cardinals posted an 8-3 victory over the Phillies on Saturday.

A converted reliever, Wainwright (6-6) had lost his previous three starts at Busch Stadium. But the righthander broke back into the win column by allowing two runs and seven hits, walking two and striking out two.

"His command was pretty good," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He was getting his breaking ball over. It seemed like he was trying to make us hit the ball to the opposite field a lot. If he got behind, he made good pitches."

"(Wainwright's) still learning," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "If (starting) was easy, anybody could do it. There's a lot to taking the ball every fifth day. He's very smart and really committed to getting better. His best is still ahead of him."

Wainwright admitted that he's taking the same approach to starting as he did to closing games last season.

"Once we got the lead I just really decided in my mind that they weren't going to get any more," Wainwright said. "They pushed one more across but it's kind of like holding the lead in the ninth inning. Once you get the lead early, you do everything that you can to hold it."

Encarnacion helped make it a successful afternoon for Wainwright with his fifth homer of the season, a 436-foot shot over the left field wall with two outs in the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie.

Chris Duncan also belted a two-run homer and contributed an RBI groundout for the Cardinals, who won for the fifth time in seven games.

"I'm starting to feel more comfortable every game," Duncan said. "I just try to take good at-bats each time up. It doesn't matter wherever I'm hitting."

Phillies starter Adam Eaton (7-5) was roughed up for six runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. The righthander walked one and struck out three.

"The sinker didn't quite get in there to Encarnacion," Eaton said. "I was pretty surprised that Duncan (swung) at the pitch that he hit the home run on. Those two pitches were a couple I would like to have back."

Jimmy Rollins had three hits and an RBI while reigning National League MVP Ryan Howard added two hits and drove in a run for Philadelphia, which had a six-game winning streak in St. Louis stopped.

"I was able to make some good pitches when I needed to," Wainwright said. "Their big guys got some hits, but they were singles, so you can't really say much more about that."

After winning Friday's series opener, the Phillies broke on top in the first inning on Howard's run-scoring single that plated Rollins, who led off with a base hit.

However, the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the inning on Duncan's RBI groundout. Scott Spiezio and Albert Pujols had consecutive one-out singles to set the stage for Duncan.

"I think (Duncan) likes the middle of the lineup," La Russa said. "I enjoy that he competes. He's a big strong guy. The other side is going to pay a lot of attention to him."

In the fourth, the Cardinals took the lead for good. Pujols drew a one-out walk and, after Duncan struck out, former Phillie Scott Rolen hit a ground-rule double to keep alive the inning for Encarnacion, who launched Eaton's next pitch over the bullpen in left field.

"(Eaton) threw me all fastballs the first at-bat and pretty much all day," Encarnacion said. "The third at-bat, he threw me a changeup. I put a good swing on it and just caught it."

Rollins' run-scoring single in the fifth pulled the Phillies within 4-2.

Eaton hit Pujols with a pitch to start the bottom of the sixth, and Duncan followed with his 14th homer of the season.

Chase Utley delivered an RBI single in the seventh to bring the Phillies within 6-3. But with two runners on and two outs, lefthander Randy Flores got Howard to fly out to right field, ending the inning.

In the eighth, the Cardinals added a pair of insurance runs. Aaron Miles produced a run with a single and later scored on a wild pitch.

Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi singled in the seventh, extending his hitting streak to 15 games.