• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Schumaker helps Cardinals edge Pirates

Jun 1, 2008 - 11:54 PM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Skip Schumaker drove in a season-high three runs and Troy Glaus homered to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon.

With the Pirates holding a 1-0 lead in the second inning, the Cardinals rallied in the bottom half against Pittsburgh starter Ian Snell (2-5).

Adam Kenndey laced an RBI single to center field with the bases loaded and starter Braden Looper helped his own cause with a run-scoring single to right to keep the bags full. Yadier Molina came home on Cesar Izturis' groundout before Schumaker's two-run single capped the uprising.

The 28-year-old Schumaker also stroked a run-scoring double two innings later, giving the Cardinals a 6-1 advantage. It was his fifth multi-RBI performance this season.

"We had a really good defensive day," Schumaker said. "The guys up the middle played unbelievably today. It's easy that way. When your guy is throwing strikes and you're always ready to make plays."

Looper (7-4) went 5 2/3 strong innings, allowing three runs and eight hits to move above .500 on the season at Busch Stadium at 4-3. The righthander also finished 2-for-2 at the plate.

"I'm happy that we won and that I got the win," Looper said. "But I know I'm capable of throwing the ball better. I'm going to continue to work and continue to try and get better. But I felt like pitched just good enough. I'm frustrated because I want to pitch better and I know I can."

Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin shut the door in the ninth for his sixth save.

"I think everybody wants to go out there and go one-two-three," Franklin said. "But it doesn't always happen. But I think all that matters in the end is that we get the win."

The Pirates had an oppuntunity to draw closer with two outs in the sixth as Nate McLouth was hit by Kyle McClellan's pitch with the bases loaded. But McClellan bounced back to get Luis Rivas to ground out to end the inning.

"We'd like to finish it off," Pirates manager John Russell said. "You got the right guys up and you just can't quite get over the hump sometimes. Their five-run inning was just unfortunate. They got five runs and didn't get a ball past the outfield. They found some holes. You have to try to avoid that big inning."

Glaus delivered his fourth home run in the seventh off Pirates reliever John Gradow. The 31-year-old third basemen also homered in Saturday's 14-4 setback.

Snell continued to struggle, giving up six runs and eight hits over four frames to fall to just 1-4 away from PNC Park this season.

"I made good pitches, they put the ball in play and good things happened to them," Snell said. "You just have to tip your hat. I don't think I did bad. I don't think I did great. But I think I did good enough where we could have stayed in the game but I guess not. They didn't hit the ball hard, it's just that the balls got through."