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GAME LOG
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- If Andy Benes pitches the way he did Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals could prove tough in the NL playoffs.
Benes, making just his second start this month since returning from the disabled list, pitched a solid six innings in the Cardinals' 7-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Benes (11-9), who came off the DL on Sept. 3, limited his former team to one run on five hits.
St. Louis trails Atlanta by two games and San Francisco by one in the race for the NL's best record and home field advantage in the playoffs.
"It would be nice to have home field (advantage)," said Benes, who won for the first time since July 13, a span of eight starts and two relief appearances.
"We made the plays and I felt comfortable," Benes added. "I felt a lot better out there."
Edgar Renteria drove in three runs with a pair of doubles, Jim
Edmonds hit a two-run homer and former Padre Carlos Hernandez added
two RBIs.
Although Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa has not yet decided on
his playoff pitching rotation, he knows a healthy Benes could make
a difference.
"He had quality location, it was sharp," La Russa said. "He threw a lot of good pitches; that was important for him."
St. Louis won for just the second time in five games since
clinching the Central Division title on Sept. 20.
"We're just looking to finish out the season strong," Edmonds
said. "If we can get home-field advantage, great."
Benes' performance was a big improvement over his last outing
when he allowed five runs in five innings against Houston on
Thursday in his first start since coming off the disabled list.
"This was an important game for us and for me," Benes said.
"It showed me I have good enough stuff right now."
San Diego lost its third straight game, scoring just two runs in
that span.
"It's hard to win games when you don't score runs," Padres
manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's up to us to get this thing turned
around. We don't want to finish like this."
Adam Eaton (6-4) lasted only five innings as he gave up four runs and eight hits.
Renteria doubled in a run as the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in
the second, and added a two-run double in the eighth.
Edmonds hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Eaton to
increase St. Louis' lead to 4-0. Edmonds' career-high 42nd home run
followed a leadoff walk to J.D. Drew.
Mark McGwire pinch hit in the eighth inning and was hit by Heathcliff Slocumb. The Padres hit three St. Louis batters.
Desi Relaford cut the lead to 4-1 in the sixth when he singled
in Ruben Rivera, who doubled leading off the inning. But the
Cardinals scored three runs in the eighth on back-to-back doubles
by Renteria and Hernandez.
Game notes
Benes is 7-2 in 13 games against San Diego, including a
five-game winning streak. ... Padres LF Eric Owens left the game in the sixth inning after apparently spraining his left ankle during
an at-bat in the third. Owens fell down while swinging and hobbled
around on his ankle, but stayed in the game. ... Edmonds has driven
in 15 runs in his past 16 games. ... Hernandez, a fan favorite in
his three years with the Padres, got a huge ovation in his first
at-bat in San Diego since being traded to the Cardinals on July 31.
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