Lohse's 6th straight win, Cards 3 HRs spark win

[June 21, 2008]  BOSTON (AP) -- Kyle Lohse won his sixth straight start and the St. Louis Cardinals hit three homers to beat the Red Sox 5-4 Friday night in their first game in Boston since Curt Schilling's "bloody sock" victory in the 2004 World Series.

The Red Sox cut the lead to one run on Mike Lowell's two-out RBI single in the ninth off Ryan Franklin, but Kevin Youkilis flied out to right with runners at first and third as Franklin got his 10th save.

Friday's win came on the same day that Schilling announced he would have shoulder surgery Monday that would end his season and, possibly, his 20-year career.

Jason LaRue's homer tied the game 1-1 in the fifth, Skip Schumaker's two-run shot made it 4-2 in the seventh and Yadier Molina's solo homer put St. Louis ahead 5-3 in the eighth as the hitting returned after the Cardinals scored just four runs in being swept by Kansas City in their previous three games.

In St. Louis' last game at Fenway Park, Schilling allowed no earned runs in six innings of Boston's 6-2 win in the second game of the World Series. Before the game, he had a surgical procedure to suture a loose tendon in his right ankle and pitched as blood seeped onto his sock.

In the opener of that four-game sweep, Tim Wakefield allowed five runs in 3 2-3 innings, but the Red Sox won 11-9.

Wakefield (4-5) pitched better Friday - after rain delayed the start of the game by one hour, 14 minutes - but three of the seven hits he allowed in seven innings were homers. He is 1-4 in his last eight starts.

Lohse (9-2) allowed one earned run and six hits in six innings and snapped his winless streak against the Red Sox. He had been 0-3 with a 6.26 ERA against them in his career before signing with St. Louis as a free agent after finishing last season with Philadelphia.

Lohse fell behind 1-0 in the second on Julio Lugo's sacrifice fly. The Cardinals tied it in the fifth on Larue's second homer of the year. He was a late addition to the lineup at catcher when Molina, in his return from a concussion, was shifted to designated hitter. Larue went 3-for-4.

St. Louis made it 2-1 in the sixth on two throwing errors by shortstop Lugo. Rick Ankiel doubled and stayed at second on the first error. Chris Duncan then grounded to first baseman Youkilis, who threw to Lugo for the out, but a wild return throw allowed Ankiel to score.

Lugo made up for it in the bottom of the sixth with his first homer since last Sept. 22 at Tampa, a span of 69 games and 222 at bats.

The Cardinals went ahead to stay in the seventh. LaRue led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice and scored on Schumaker's fifth homer.

The Red Sox, wearing green jerseys in honor of the Celtics' NBA championship, wasted an excellent chance in the seventh when they loaded the bases with no out against Randy Flores on a single by Jacoby Ellsbury and walks to Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew. But Russ Springer came in and preserved the lead.

He got Manny Ramirez to ground into a double play on which Ellsbury scored before striking out Lowell.

Then the Cardinals went ahead 5-3 against Hideki Okajima on Molina's fourth homer.

Notes:@ NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce threw the ceremonial first pitch during a pre-game ceremony honoring the Celtics, who won the title Tuesday night. ... Cardinals SS Cesar Izturis left the game with a strained right hamstring in the bottom of the fourth and was replaced by Brendan Ryan. ... Billy Werber, a Red Sox third baseman from 1933-36 turned 100 Friday. He is the oldest living former major leaguer.

[Associated Press; By HOWARD ULMAN]

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