Ludwick's 2-run homer in 11th gives Cards 6-4 win

[August 06, 2008]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Ryan Ludwick hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning off Jason Johnson, a starter called into duty, to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

Ludwick' 28th homer, his fifth in four games, allowed the Cardinals to recover after the bullpen blew a four-run ninth-inning lead for its major league-leading 27th blown save.

Adam Kennedy singled to start the inning and Ludwick hit a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall with one out for his third career game-winning homer, and first since May 17 against the Rays.

Jaime Garcia (1-1) pitched a scoreless 11th for the Cardinals.

Johnson (1-1) worked one-third of an inning two days after throwing 87 pitches in 4 1-3 innings in a 9-3 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Both teams missed chances to end it earlier. The Dodgers stranded five runners and the Cardinals four in the ninth and 10th.

Manny Ramirez, the 2004 World Series MVP in the Red Sox' sweep of St. Louis, was booed before each of his at-bats. He didn't seem to mind, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and trotting home with the tying run in a four-run ninth on Casey Blake's sacrifice fly.

Ramirez also drew an intentional walk to load the bases with two outs in the 10th before left fielder Joe Mather made a nice running catch on James Loney's sinking liner. Ramirez is 10-for-16 with two homers and five RBIs in four games since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline, and is a .372 career hitter (16-for-43) against the Cardinals with three homers and nine RBIs.

Chris Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner, threw five economical innings in his second start of the season for St. Louis. He allowed only three singles and needed only 51 pitches in an outing likely shortened by a pair of rain delays totaling one hour and 5 minutes and separated by only two at-bats in the bottom of the fifth and top of sixth.

The Dodgers trailed 4-0 going into the ninth, and hadn't put a runner in scoring position in the first eight innings.

But pinch-hitter Andrew Jones, hitting .161 with two homers coming into the game, lead off the ninth with a home run off Ron Villone.

Jason Isringhausen, restored to the closer's job last week, relieved Villone. Isringhausen got the first out but then gave up four hits and a walk in a span of five at-bats.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first at-bat after the first rain delay, on Adam Kennedy's RBI single in the fifth off Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley.

Not long after the second delay, Joe Beimel hit pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel in the leg on an 0-2 count with the bases loaded to make it 2-0.

Albert Pujols, who snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a single in the first, made it 4-0 in the seventh with his 22nd homer off Chan Ho Park.

Billingsley, coming off his first career shutout, also worked five innings and allowed a run on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

Notes: After the game, the Cardinals announced they had signed infielder Felipe Lopez, released last week by the Nationals. ... Jones' third homer was his first since May 15 at Milwaukee and also the 371st of his career, breaking a tie with Gil Hodges for 66th on the career list.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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