stlcardinals.com
May 13, 2002

Cards' Morris Shuts Out Cubs, 3-0

By Matthew Leach

ST. LOUIS -- Two pitches -- one wild, one not nearly wild enough -- doomed Kerry Wood.
Wood gave up just two hits in six innings on Monday night at Busch Stadium, but a wild pitch to Jim Edmonds scored one run and a down-the-middle fastball to Tino Martinez plated two more as the Cardinals beat the Cubs 3-0.

Matt Morris beat Chicago for the second straight outing, going the distance and allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out seven. It was the first complete game for the Cardinals this year, and the third career shutout for Morris, who improved to 6-2 on the season. Morris allowed just one hit after the third inning.

"We got outpitched tonight," Wood said. "He did a great job. He had our number all night long."

Fernando Vina, one of just two Cardinals to get a base hit, scored on Wood's fourth-inning wild pitch to Jim Edmonds for a 1-0 St. Louis lead. Two innings later, Martinez crushed a first-pitch fastball from Wood into the right-field seats for his third homer and the game's final margin. It was the first homer given up by Wood this year.

"I don't know where he meant to throw it, but it was a fastball up in the zone and I put a good swing on it," Martinez said.

Wood was nearly as sharp as Morris for much of the night, and in the early going he was better. But he made just enough mistakes to give the Cards a win over their old rivals. St. Louis has won four of its last five after a 6-16 slump. Chicago has lost five in a row, scoring just 14 runs in those games.

"We just haven't hit that two-run, three-run homer when we desperately need it," said Cubs manager Don Baylor. "We're struggling offensively. Trying to manufacture runs and things, trying to get enough baserunners on. We had a man on second, no outs (in the third inning). Against Morris you have to be able to scratch out a run there where you get Kerry the lead but we didn't execute that."

Pregame conversation centered on the controversy between the two clubs, resulting from Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan's accusation that the Cubs stole signs last week at Wrigley Field. It was speculated that the Cards might retaliate for the alleged misconduct.

But instead of basebrawl, this game featured old-time baseball of a different sort: a tight, well-pitched thriller that was over in two hours, 12 minutes. And any animosity between Morris and Sammy Sosa - the supposed beneficiary of the sign stealing - stayed between the lines. Sosa went 1-for-4 with a single and two strikeouts.

"Sammy's a great hitter, man. I'm trying to get him out," Morrisa said. "He got me there in the first and I threw him a couple curveballs after that. I think that's what he was looking for that last at-bat. I was able to sneak one by him but that doesn't happen often.

Wood breezed through the first three innings in 29 pitches, throwing just eight balls in his first trip through the order. He retired the first nine batters he faced. Then things got interesting for the fireballing right-hander. Wood issued a walk to Vina to lead off the fourth, followed by a one-out single to Albert Pujols. With a 1-1 count to Edmonds, Wood released the wild pitch that allowed Vina to score. There might have been a chance for a play on Edmonds, but catcher Joe Girardi's throw hit Wood on the arm.

Wood was not out of trouble even then, as he walked Edmonds and Martinez, loading the bases with one out. Edgar Renteria nearly broke the game open, but second baseman Bobby Hill leapt to snare Renteria's line drive for the second out. Kerry Robinson worked an 11-pitch at-bat before striking out looking to end the threat.

By the time Wood was out of the fourth, he had given up just one run and one hit, but it took him 44 pitches to get through the frame.

"That 40-pitch inning that took a lot but he was the best I had," Baylor said. "He wanted to be out there. He had great stuff tonight. God, you hate to waste that kind of stuff that he had. He had just an electric fastball. Just didn't score for him."

Wood retired the side in order in the fifth, and in fact had retired seven straight batters before walking Edmonds with two out in the sixth. But on the first pitch to Martinez, Wood grooved one. And Martinez punished him, depositing the ball in the seats down the left-field line.

"I got two quick outs and Edmonds, I've seen him too many times in that situation where he takes a pitch," Wood said. "I out-thought myself and pitched around him, try to get the next guy out and it backfired on me. So that's my own fault. And the wild pitch that scored Vina is my fault as well. But it's getting more frustrating as we go along."

The three runs were more than enough for Morris, who looked practically unbeatable over the second half of the game.

"I think you could have took a high school kid, put him back there and catch a shutout," Cardinals catcher Mike DiFelice said. "He did a great job. He stepped it up for us today. We had some great defensive plays out there. Our whole team, we had a nice competitive flow out there today."