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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Darryl Kile is taking his comeback season to
even greater heights.
Kile threw a five-hitter to outduel Mike Hampton, and the St.
Louis Cardinals won for the second straight game in their final
at-bat, 2-1 over the New York Mets on Saturday.
|  | | Cardinals starter Darryl Kile delivers in the first inning against the Mets on Saturday. Kile has twice as many wins (16) as he had last year. |
Kile (16-9) struck out two, walked none and retired the final 18
batters in 94-degree heat, throwing only 94 pitches. Robin Ventura
got the Mets' last hit, and was their last baserunner, on an RBI
single in the fourth.
"When you look at the hitters he faced, the pitcher he was
going against, and the heat, it was outstanding," manager Tony La
Russa said. "You watch him throw, he hadn't lost anything. In
fact, he got a little stronger, I thought, as he went along."
It was the second straight complete game for Kile, who scattered
eight hits in a 7-2 victory over the Braves on Aug. 27, and fourth
in seven starts. Kile said he was just trying to match zeros with
Hampton, a former teammate in Houston.
"He's one of the best pitchers in the league, and to beat a guy
like that is big for us," Kile said. "When you face a guy like
him, you know one or two runs is the game, and he held up again."
It continued a comeback season for the right-hander, who was
8-13 with a 6.61 ERA last year in Colorado. He's also 10-4 for his
career against the Mets.
Fernando Vina got the game-winner with an opposite-field RBI
single off closer Armando Benitez with two outs in the ninth
inning. Jim Edmonds' ninth-inning homer beat the Mets 6-5 Friday
night.
"We hit a lot of balls harder than they did," Mets manager
Bobby Valentine said. "You can't place them, all you can do is hit
them."
The Cardinals have beaten the Mets two straight times after
losing their first six to them this season. The NL Central leaders
moved a season-best 19 games above .500 (77-58).
J.D. Drew legged out a double off Hampton (13-8) to start the
ninth and went to third on a sacrifice by Edgar Renteria. Benitez
walked pinch-hitter Thomas Howard, and pinch-runner Eli Marrero
stole second before Vina dribbled a two-out hit just inside the
third-base line, past a diving Ventura.
"It looked like a line drive to me," Vina said. "I've had a
lot of line drives that have been caught, so that's right where I
needed to be. I finally found a hole for myself."
Ventura was even with the bag on the play.
"I don't think it mattered where I was playing," he said.
"Unless I caught it in the air, they win."
Hampton lost for the first time since July 20, allowing two runs
on eight hits in 8 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and two walks.
He was 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA in six previous outings.
Hampton said he could have gotten off the mound quicker on
Renteria's sacrifice bunt in the ninth. He made a sliding stop and
threw to first for the out, but thought he could have caught it and
doubled Drew off second.
"If I catch it, he's out," Hampton said. "I should have made
the play."
Edgardo Alfonzo doubled to start the fourth ahead of Ventura's
RBI single.
The Cardinals tied it in the sixth, although it took four hits.
Placido Polanco and Edmonds singled to start the inning, then Eric
Davis hit into a double play. Craig Paquette followed with an RBI
single, and Drew also singled before Renteria grounded out to end
the inning.
Game
notes
Vina was hit by a pitch for a major league-leading 25th
time in the first, also matching his career high set in 1998. ...
St. Louis C Mike Matheny singled in the seventh to extend his
hitting streak to a career-best 10 games. He's 14-for-33 in that
span. ... The Mets avoided injury when Hampton accidentally flung
his bat in the dugout during his at-bat in the eighth. ... The Mets
and Giants entered the game 31-17 since the All-Star break, best in
the majors. ... Ray Lankford is 1-for-10 as a pinch-hitter after
striking out for the second out in the ninth.
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St. Louis Clubhouse
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Autograph-spurned fans rock car of Mets' Reed
RECAPS
Seattle 4
Boston 1
Baltimore 8
Cleveland 6
Oakland 8
Toronto 0
Kansas City 7
Tampa Bay 5
NY Yankees 13
Minnesota 4
Detroit 5
Texas 3
Chi. White Sox 13
Anaheim 6
St. Louis 2
NY Mets 1
Milwaukee 8
Colorado 3
San Francisco 13
Chicago Cubs 2
Montreal 9
Cincinnati 5
Atlanta 8
Houston 6
Florida 10
Arizona 1
Pittsburgh 6
San Diego 3
Los Angeles 1
Philadelphia 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tony La Russa says his Cards have played good baseball.
wav: 77 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Fernando Vina says the Cards are together.
wav: 60 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Darryl Kile says a little luck made the difference on Saturday.
wav: 61 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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