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Cardinals get to Arroyo early, top Reds

Aug 16, 2008 - 4:09 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Rick Ankiel belted a two-run homer and Jason LaRue also drove in a pair of runs as the St. Louis Cardinals posted a 5-3 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Ankiel put the Cardinals ahead for good in the first inning with his 23rd blast of the season. After Skip Schumaker gave St. Louis a 3-1 bulge with an RBI single in the second, LaRue delivered a run-scoring groundout in the third and a sacrifice fly in the sixth for a 5-3 advantage.

Brad Thompson (5-2) worked five innings for St. Louis, allowing three runs and three hits. Making just his fourth start of the season, the righthander walked one and struck out four.

"I enjoy being out there," Thompson said. "I feel like I get more comfortable as the game goes on. If I get another opportunity, I hope to take advantage of it."

"You have to give it to Brad for going out there in a spot start and doing his job," Ankiel said. "It was a great win for us."

Jaime Garcia, Kyle McClellan and Ron Villone combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings and Chris Perez recorded the final two outs for his fourth save.

"Today, our bullpen got four innings' worth," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "But when they pitch that effectively, guys got a little more freshness, and we can handle a four-inning game."

Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo (10-10) suffered his third loss in nine decisions, surrendering five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 frames.

"They just played a good ballgame and did things when they needed to a little better than we did," Arroyo said.

Chris Dickerson hit his first career homer in the first for the Reds, who had won two of three following a six-game skid.

St. Louis jumped on Arroyo early as All-Star Ryan Ludwick hit a one-out double in the opening inning and scored two batters later on Ankiel's homer.

"The pitch to Ankiel in the first inning crushed me," Arroyo said. "I think if I bounce that, he swings through it. But I left it in the middle of the zone, and he hit it hard."

Dickerson led off the bottom of the frame with a blast to right field, but Schumaker restored the two-run lead with a two-out single in the second that plated former Red Felipe Lopez.

"Two-out hits are killers," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "You're one pitch from getting out of the inning. They got a couple of big ones, and that was the difference in the ballgame."

Corey Patterson lifted a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to again pull Cincinnati within a run before Albert Pujols, who went 3-for-5, scored on a grounder by LaRue in the third to give St. Louis a 4-2 advantage.

Patterson came home on a grounder by Ryan Hanigan in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 4-3, but LaRue capped the scoring with his sacrifice fly in the sixth.

"Every time we would score, they would score," Baker said.