• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Pujols' hustle sends Cardinals to victory

May 6, 2008 - 5:36 AM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Albert Pujols scored the go-ahead run all the way from second base on a weak groundout by Rick Ankiel in the ninth inning, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-5 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday.

With one out and the score tied at 5-5, Pujols lined a double down the right field line off Rockies closer Brian Fuentes (0-2).

Four pitches later, Ankiel rolled a slow grounder to second baseman Jon Herrera, who threw to first baseman Todd Helton to record the second out of the inning.

However, Pujols - who was already in motion due to a called hit-and-run play - rounded third, took a look at the play behind him and made a furious dash to beat the throw home to plate the winning run.

"I'm not a fast runner, but I take advantage of the situation when I'm on base," Pujols said. "I (had) my mind set; it's something that you don't practice, it just happens. Hopefully, you get lucky and don't get thrown out, and if you don't get lucky and get thrown out, you are in trouble with the manager. I looked at Tony (La Russa) and he was pretty excited."

"It's an instinctive play (with Pujols)," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "In a perfect world, maybe you grab the ball then you pick up the runner. But it was such a slow roller, (Herrera's) thinking the guy might be safe at first. That's kind of the way things are going right now. We're kind of sideways on some things."

Randy Flores (1-0), who surrendered the tying run in the eighth, notched the win before yielding to closer Jason Isringhausen, who worked around a walk to notch his 11th save in 14 chances.

"You can't exaggerate what (Pujols) did, but there were so many guys who stepped up in that game," La Russa said. "It's the old cliche, but this was really a team effort. A lot of guys did something."

Pujols' fearless play erased memories of a debatable call at the plate that denied St. Louis a run.

With one out in the eighth, St. Louis took a 5-4 lead when pinch hitter Ryan Ludwick connected for an RBI double, scoring Brendan Ryan. The Cardinals appeared poised to double the lead in the next at-bat but Yadier Molina was thrown out at home on a questionable call by home plate umpire Bob Davidson.

Replays of the call actually showed Molina to be safe.

"I actually thought Pujols was safe, and I thought Molina was safe," Hurdle said.

The played looked to be pivotal as Colorado evened the score in the bottom of the eighth, but Pujols' baserunning made the play moot.