stlcardinals.com
July 18, 2002

Morris Subdues SF, Snaps Streak

By Matthew Leach

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Morris continued his return to form Thursday afternoon, mowing down the Giants to end a personal four-game winless streak as the Cardinals beat San Francisco, 5-1. The game was delayed 51 minutes at the start due to a morning storm, and another 45 minutes in the third inning when rain fell again.

Morris, who struggled in his last two starts before the All-Star break, enjoyed his finest outing in a month. He lasted eight innings, giving up one run on eight hits and striking out eight. He walked just one Giants batter. Morris had pitched well but did not receive a decision in his last outing, Saturday in San Diego.

Jason Schmidt matched Morris pitch for pitch over the first five innings but ran into trouble in the sixth. The Giants starter's final line -- six innings, four runs, five hits, four walks, seven strikeouts -- did not reflect how effectively he pitched for much of the game.

David Bell singled, doubled and drove in the Giants' only run, while Jeff Kent contributed two singles. Kent has recorded at least two hits in 13 of his last 18 games.

In addition to the rain delays, the game was briefly paused after the eighth inning when an argument broke out, apparently over the fact that Giants lefty Chad Zerbe hit two Cardinals with pitches. Both benches and bullpens emptied, but nothing came of the potential skirmish. Earlier, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa was thrown out for arguing with home plate umpire Joe West.

The Cardinals broke out for three runs against Schmidt in the sixth inning. With the game tied at 1 and one out, Jim Edmonds walked. Albert Pujols advanced Edmonds with a groundout to third, bringing the slumping Tino Martinez to the plate. But Martinez worked an 0-2 hole into a walk, putting two runners on for J.D. Drew.

Drew, who had not started since Sunday as he recovers from patellar tendinitis in his right knee, laced a pitch from Schmidt down the right-field line for a double and an RBI. Schmidt walked Edgar Renteria intentionally to get to Mike DiFelice, and DiFelice made him pay with a two-run single to left field.

The Giants got to Morris in the early going, tallying two singles in the first and scoring a run in the second on a walk and Bell's double. But after the second rain delay, which halted play with a runner on first and none out in the top of the third, San Francisco hitters could do nothing against the Redbirds' ace. Once play resumed, he allowed just four more hits over six innings.