St. Louis Post-Dispatch
June 21, 2001

Morris Pitches the Cards to Fifth Victory in a Row

By Rick Hummel

Besides pitching the Cardinals to just four games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs, righthander Matt Morris probably cemented an All-Star Game berth for himself Tuesday night.

Morris gained his ninth win in 13 decisions by beating the Cubs 3-2 at Busch Stadium with two-inning relief help from Gene Stechschulte, Steve Kline and Dave Veres.

Morris is tied for second in victories by a National League pitcher, two behind Arizona's Curt Schilling. Morris also is one of nine NL starters with earned-run averages under 3.00.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, "I'm partial to our guys so I would submit two or three of them (to All-Star manager Bobby Valentine). But (Morris) would be one of them."

Morris' All-Star take is that "if I think ahead too much, I get in trouble."

At Busch Stadium, Morris is 7-1 with an ERA of 1.46 on nine earned runs in 55 1/3 innings.

While the Cardinals won their fifth game in a row -- all at home, the Cubs lost for the 13th straight time at Busch Stadium since Oct. 2, 1999. In that time, they have been outscored 91-35.

Game 3 of a four-game series more crucial for the chasing Cardinals than the Cubs will be tonight at 6:05, an hour earlier than usual because of national television commitments.

A misplay by Cubs shortstop Ricky Gutierrez and a bold, two- out bunt by Fernando Vina helped break a 1-1 tie as the Cardinals scored twice in the seventh.

With two out, Mike Matheny singled off Kyle Farnsworth and Morris singled up the middle. Gutierrez made a diving stop but then, while on the ground, uncorked an unwise throw into the Cardinals dugout, putting runners at second and third.

Lefthander Jeff Fassero relieved and Vina pulled a bunt to Fassero's left. First baseman Ron Coomer fielded the ball and threw to Fassero, who reached out futilely as Vina streaked by and Matheny scored.

"Lucky I wasn't on third," Morris said. "I wouldn't have known what to do."

But Morris soon came home on a single by Placido Polanco.

Vina is 13 for 30 (.433) against the Cubs this season with 10 of his 22 runs batted in against them.

Vina "wins games," Coomer said. "He's gotten big hits in every series we've played."

La Russa said the bunt was "totally (Vina's) fault. A lot of imagination and great execution."

Vina said he wanted to bunt to Fassero's left because the Cubs pitcher falls off the mound to the third-base side after his delivery.

"If I can get it by the pitcher, nine times out of 10 I can beat the pitcher over there," Vina said. "It's a gamble but I felt comfortable with it."

Veres gained his 10th save in 10 opportunities, but began by allowing a two-out double to Gutierrez in the ninth. Sammy Sosa squibbed a run-scoring single into right field, beating a shift which had second baseman Vina shaded well toward second.

"I didn't know that he had shifted that far," Veres said. "When (Sosa) hit it, I said, 'Yeah!'

"He hit a 50-hopper through the stinking infield but I'll take that any day. If I keep it in the yard, I'm doing my job."

Third baseman Polanco then made a leaping catch on Coomer's liner to end the game. "If he was a little taller, it wouldn't be so tough," an appreciative Veres joked.

The Cardinals' first run came on Ray Lankford's second-inning double. Lankford, who was 0 for 16 and three for 36, chased home Albert Pujols, who had walked with one out. When right fielder Sosa bobbled the carom off the wall, third-base coach Jose Oquendo aggressively waved Pujols safely home.

Joe Girardi singled to left in the Cub' seventh and pitcher Jason Bere bunted. Morris fielded the ball quickly, took a look at second base and then fired to first - too high for diminutive second baseman Vina. Vina left the bag to grab the throw and dived back toward first. Television replays indicated that Vina's glove got there ahead of Bere but the Cubs runner was called safe.

The Cardinals didn't argue even though Vina thought he had got there first.

"The way it looked, it looked like there was something wrong with the play," La Russa said. "That definitely was not a time for arguing."

Catcher Mike Matheny had called for Morris to throw to second. "Then he saw me slip," Morris said, " so he called (first). And then I really slipped."

Eric Young then sacrificed and Gutierrez tied the score with a sacrifice fly.