Taguchi clutch again as Cardinals win         

[June 06, 2007]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Pinch hitter So Taguchi singled over a drawn-in outfield in the ninth inning for his second straight game-winning hit, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

The Cardinals won for the fifth time in six games without catcher Gary Bennett, who left in the second after getting hit by an Aaron Harang breaking ball. The team described the injury as a contusion to the back of the skull.

Bennett took over regular duties after Yadier Molina broke his left wrist last week. Bennett walked to first alongside a team trainer before heading to the clubhouse.

Juan Encarnacion homered, and David Eckstein had three hits and an RBI for the Cardinals. Jason Isringhausen (3-0) walked two and struck out two in the ninth against the Reds, who stranded 15 runners and left seven on over the last three innings.

Aaron Miles drew a leadoff walk in the ninth off Jared Burton (0-1), advanced on a sacrifice and went to third on Jon Coutlangus' wild pitch. Taguchi hit a 3-2 pitch over the head of right fielder Norris Hopper, two days after homering in the 10th inning at Houston.

Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer battled control problems in his second career start, walking six in 3 2-3 innings. Wellemeyer walked the bases loaded to start the fourth, then struck out Juan Castro and Harang -- both on full counts after falling behind -- before Hopper walked to force in a run.

During that sequence, Wellemeyer threw 36 pitches and Reds batters took only five swings.

Harang lasted six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Harang also walked none in his last outing, a complete-game victory at Houston.

Chris Duncan returned to the Cardinals' lineup after missing six games with an infected left knee, and the left fielder made a spectacular juggling catch at the wall to rob Adam Dunn of extra bases and an RBI to end the first.

Jim Edmonds' RBI double off the center field wall put the Cardinals ahead in the first, and Eckstein's single made it 2-0 in the second. Hopper's bases-loaded walk and Tyler Johnson's bases-loaded wild pitch allowed the Reds to tie it in the fourth without a hit.

Encarnacion's third homer of the season, all in the last six games, put the Cardinals ahead 3-2 in the sixth. The Reds tied it again in the seventh when Brandon Phillips tripled with one out and scored on Dunn's broken-bat single.

The Reds stranded five runners in the seventh and eighth against Ryan Franklin.

Notes: Ken Griffey Jr., who didn't start for the first time since late April, is 4-for-25 during a seven-game trip with two RBIs. ... Eckstein is 15-for-33 (.455) during an eight-game hitting streak with two homers. ... Josh Hamilton was 1-for-4 with a double and walk in his first start since being sidelined by gastroenteritis on May 22.

[Text copied from Associated Press file]