FRIDAY. OCTOBER 7. 2005
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 7B
NHI
Detroit continues sweep against St. Louis
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Robert Lang had a goal and an assist, and Jason Williams had three assists to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a season-opening home-and-home sweep of the St. Louis Blues with a 4-3 victory Thursday night.
Detroit, which beat the Blues 5-1 at home Wednesday night, could not have asked for a better opponent to open the season. Since 2002-03, Detroit is 11-1-1 against St. Louis.
Mikael Samuelsson, Jiri Fischer and Brendan Shanahan also scored for Detroit, while Manny Legace made 23 saves for his second win in as many nights. The victory wasn't assured until the final seconds as the Blues, with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker, got off several shots in a goal-mouth scramble. St. Louis outshot Detroit 11-4 in the final period.
Doug Weight had a goal and an assist for St. Louis, while defenseman Andy Roach scored his first career goal and Dean McAmmond got his first goal as a member of the Blues.
Detroit led 2-1 after the first period, and appeared to take control when Fischer and Shanahan scored late in the second.
Detroit goaltender Manny Legace makes a save against St. Louis' Dallas Drake in the third period on Thursday in the Savvis Center in St. Louis. The Red Wings added another victory to their 11 against the Blues since the 2002-2003 season.
Fischer made it 5-1 at 16:10 when he took a feed from Tomas Holmstrom, skated down the right side and beat goalie Patrick Lalime inside the far post. Shanahan then scored on the power play with 1:43 left in the period as he put in the rebound of Williams' shot from the left point.
Kyle Ericson/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Padres hand over game to St. Louis Cardinals in a 6-2 loss
MLB
BY JIM SALTER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Misplays and missed opportunities have put the San Diego Padres in a big hole.
The St. Louis Cardinals scored twice in one inning on an error, three walks and a botched throw to the plate, then got two more runs in another inning after a misjudged fly ball and a bad throw home.
The Padres made it easy for the Cardinals when they were at the plate, too. San Diego hit into double plays in four straight innings, blowing several scoring chances in a 6-2 loss Thursday,
"We had our chances," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "We're just missing the big hit. It was similar to the first game."
The Cardinals are up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, which moves to San Diego on Saturday.
The Padres were primed to take their first lead of the series when they loaded the bases in the second against Mark Mulder on a walk, a hit and a hit batter. But rookie Ben Johnson struck out and pitcher Pedro Astacio bounced back to the mound.
The Cardinals scored two runs without a hit in the third. Astacio walked Abraham Nunez leading off, then Yadier Molina hit a sure double-play ball to short. But Khalil Greene misplayed it for an error and both runners were safe.
After Mulder's sacrifice bunt,
first baseman Xavier Nady fielded
David Eckstein's grounder
but threw high to the plate,
allowing Nunez to just sneak under
the tag. Astacio then walked
Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols
on nine pitches.
Mark Grudzielanek singled leading off the fourth, and Nunez hit a liner to deep right
that Johnson broke slowly on, the ball just eluding his outstretched glove for a groundrule double.
"I guess it was a case of misjudging it," Johnson said. "Off the bat I kind of lost it. I picked it up the last second and tried to take a stab at it."
Molina grounded sharply to Nady, who again threw just high enough home for Grudzielanek to score. The Cardinals made it 4-0 on Eckstein's squeeze bunt.
Johnson, who also struck out twice and hit into a double play, said he was nervous.
"The adrenaline was pumping," he said. "I tried to set myself. I made a couple of mistakes."
Meanwhile, the Padres missed several chances to get back into the game, hitting into double plays in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
"You can't guide it," San Diego's Joe Randa said. "If you hit it hard at somebody, there's nothing you can do."
The double play in the seventh was the biggest. The Padres had scored to make it 4-1
and had runners on first and second with hit out when Miguel Olivo hit into a 4-6-3 double play. After a hit batter, Ryan Klesko flied out to left as the potential tving run.
"That's the way we played all year long," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Our pitchers are not afraid to pitch to contact and get the ground-ball."
The Cardinals tied an NL division series record with the four double plays. The double play streak finally ended in the eighth — and San Diego still missed a chance to get back in the game.