WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2005
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3B
MLB
Padres battle to the end Despite eight hits in last two innings Cardinals defeat Padres in game one
BY R.B. FALLSTROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST.LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals looked every bit like the best team in baseball— even with a shaky ending.
San Diego played as poorly as its record suggests for most of the day. And now, with ace pitcher Jake Peavy out for the postseason with a broken rib, the Padres might be overmatched.
Sanders hit a grand slam and set an NL division series record with six RBIs, Carpenter pitched six scoreless innings before being pulled as a precaution and the Cardinals built a big lead and held off the Padres 8-5 Tuesday in Game 1.
"It's huge," Sanders said. "Let alone getting one RBI in a week, you get six in one day and especially under postseason pressure. It's a great day.
"But it's not over, we've got a long way to go."
Facing a team that won the West despite an 82-80 record, the Cardinals — who led the majors with 100 wins — opened an 8-0 cushion in the fifth inning against Peavy. He pitched with an injury that worsened in the third and was taken to a hospital after lasting only 4 1-3 innings. An MRI showed one broken rib on his right side and the possibility of a second break.
Even without Peavy, the Padres weren't done. They scored once in the seventh, added another run in the eighth and then got right back into it in the ninth. San Diego scored three times and loaded the bases with two outs before closer Jason Isringhausen struck out Ramon Hernandez.
"We're playing a tough team," Sanders said. "As you can see, they fought to the last out."
Against Peavy, Sanders had both of the key hits. His two-run single off the glove of diving first baseman Mark Sweeney put the Cardinals ahead 4-0 in the third, and his grand slam into the left-field seats on a 3-0 fastball chased Peavy in the fifth.
The Padres saw the dominant Carpenter again. He allowed only three singles while benefiting from three double plays from the team that led the majors.
"Our key is to make him throw pitches and get him out of there," San Diego's Ryan Klesko said. "He pitched himself out of a couple of jams."
Carpenter's biggest battle was with the weather. It was an unseasonably warm 84 degrees at gametime and 86 when he experienced cramping in his right hand while warming up before the seventh. The Cardinals said dehydration caused the problem and took him out as a precaution.
Carpenter said his fingers started cramping when he put on his batting glove before striking out in the sixth. He also said his hamstrings and calves were cramping.
"It only happened twice," Carpenter said. "But they weren't going to take a chance."
Peavy appeared to be the Padres' best shot at postseason success after going 13-7 with a 2.88 ERA — only five points behind Carpenter — and leading the NL with 216 strikeouts. But he couldn't make it through the fifth, his second-shortest outing of the season, and gave up eight runs on eight hits.
The Padres had been planning to pitch Peavy in game 4 on Sunday in San Diego on regular rest if the series goes that far. Now, the likely starter is Adam Eaton, who had been slotted for Game 5.
The Cardinals got to Peavy immediately. With one out in the first, Edmonds hit his 11th career postseason homer to the opposite field to give St. Louis the lead.
Five straight batters reached safely with one out in the third as the Cardinals scored three more times. The wild pitch that worsened Peavy's injury allowed one run to score and Sanders' infield hit drove in two more.
St. Louis Cardinals' Reggie Sanders is congratulated by teammates Albert Pujols, left, and Jim Edmonds after Sanders hit a grand slam in the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres in St. Louis on Tuesday during Game One of the National League Division Series. Both Pujols and Edmonds scored on Sanders' hit.
Tom Gannam/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the fifth, four straight Cardinals reached with one out.
The Padres had 13 hits, but eight came in the last two innings.
"I think anytime you're down eight runs and you end up getting the winning run at the plate, I think that shows a lot of character and heart of the club," Bochy said. "They were battling to the end."
MLB
Chicago White Sox batter Juan Uribe connects for a home run in the fourth inning off Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement in game 1 of the American League Division Series in Chicago on Tuesday. The White Sox won 14-2.
Darron Cummings/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago routs Boston in playoff opener
BY RICK GANO
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The White Sox hope to end a drought that's even longer,
CHICAGO — The winning socks came from the White Sox. Now, maybe it's their turn to end a long championship drought.
A. J. Pierzynski homered twice, Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe and even ScottPodsednik also connected, and Chicago scored five times in the first inning Tuesday en route to a 14-2 victory against the World Series champion Red Sox in their playoff opener.
Jose Contreras pitched effectively into the eighth inning, ending Boston's eight-game postseason winning streak that carried the team to its first title in 86 years last season.
dating way back to the days of Shoeless Joe Jackson and their most recent World Series crown in 1917, the last time they won any playoff series at all.
Game 2 in the best-of-five series is today at U.S. Cellular Field with Chicago's Mark Buehrle facing Boston's David Wells.
A sign in the stands summed up hopes on the South Side:
"2004: Their Sox, 2005: Our Sox."
The White Sox got their first playoff victory since 1993 with a stunning display of power.
Then again, Boston has done fine overcoming October deficits. The Red Sox rallied from 3-0 down to beat the New York Yankees in the AL championship series last year before sweeping St. Louis in the World Series for their first title since 1918.
Clement struggled with his control at the outset, hitting Podsednik and Jermaine Dye with pitches.
Conterras, who was 2-4 with an 11.67 ERA in his career against the Red Sox, allowed eight hits and two runs in 7 2-3 innings in his first playoff start.
Pierzynski's three-run homer off Matt Clement capped Chicago's first-inning outburst and sent a raucous, towel-waving crowd of 40,717 into delirium.
Konerko added a solo shot in the third and Uribe a two-run drive to finish Clement in the fourth. Podsednik, Chicago's speedy leadoff hitter who didn't have a homer all season, hit a three-run shot off Jeremi Gonzalez in the sixth.
Podsadnik stole third and after Konerko sent a long drive'
to left that was foul, he put the White Sox ahead with an RBI grounder to third.
Carl Everett followed with a single before Aaron Rowand sent an RBI single over shortstop for a 2-0 lead. The din increased moments later when Pierzynski lined a home run.
Trot Nixon singled in the fourth and, after Jason Varitek dropped down a bunt for another hit, Chicago third baseman Joe Crede made an error and both runners advanced.
Conterras threw another wild pitch at Nixon scored. Kevin Millar followed with a double, and the Red Sox were seemingly back in the game at 6-2.
But Chicago second baseman Tadahito Ighuchi made a heads-up play on Bill Mueller's grounder to douse the rally.