Byrnes' single in 10th lifts D-backs over Cards

[April 15, 2009]  PHOENIX (AP) -- Eric Byrnes broke out of a slump with a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning that gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Long after the Cardinals lost starting pitcher Chris Carpenter to a ribcage injury, Byrnes, who had one hit in his first 17 at-bats, lined the first delivery from Brad Thompson (0-1) into left field to score Justin Upton, who had snapped out of an 0-for-15 slide with a single.

The hit made a winner of Tony Pena (2-0) and ended a five-game win streak for the Cardinals, who removed the oft-injured Carpenter with a strained left ribcage in the fourth.

The Diamondbacks took a 6-4 lead in the eighth when pinch-hitter Conor Jackson hit a three-run homer, but St. Louis tied it in the ninth on singles by Colby Rasmus and Albert Pujols off closer Chad Qualls.

Arizona also got a pinch-hit homer from Mark Reynolds in the fifth.

Carpenter got hurt when he grounded out to third base to end the top of the fourth, team spokesman Melody Yount said. The right-hander went to the mound to warm up before the bottom of the inning, then called for a trainer.

The Cardinals led 3-0 when he was removed.

The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner allowed four hits in three innings, striking out two. He has not allowed a run in 10 innings this season.

The 33-year-old Carpenter made only four appearances last season after reconstructive elbow surgery. He underwent another procedure in November to transpose an elbow nerve that was irritating the muscles in the back of his shoulder and around his neck.

With two outs in the eighth, St. Louis reliever Josh Kinney walked Miguel Montero and hit Upton with a pitch. That brought up Jackson, who drove an 0-1 pitch into the left-field seats for his first homer.

Arizona's lead didn't last. Qualls retired the leadoff man in the ninth before running into trouble.

Joe Thurston bunted for a single and former Diamondback Brian Barden singled.

Skip Schumaker walked to load the bases, and Rasmus singled sharply to right field to drive in Thurston and make it 6-5.

That brought up Pujols, who bounced an 0-2 pitch past second baseman Felipe Lopez to score Barden and tie it at 6. It was Qualls' first blown save in two chances.

Qualls struck out pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan and Rick Ankiel to leave the bases loaded.

Kyle McClellan relieved Carpenter and pitched a 1-2-3 fourth. In the fifth, after Upton reached on shortstop Khalil Greene's throwing error, McClellan gave up a two-run homer to Reynolds that cut the Cardinals' lead to 3-2.

St. Louis took a 3-0 lead in the fourth against Max Scherzer, making his first start after opening the season on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury.

Pujols led off with a double and scored on a double by Chris Duncan. Ankiel walked and one out later Yadier Molina hit a two-run double to deep center to put the Cardinals up 3-0.

Scherzer left after five innings. He gave up three runs, five hits and two walks and struck out one.

The Cardinals made it 4-2 in the sixth on an RBI single by Thurston off Jon Rauch, who has allowed at least one run in four of his five appearances this year.

Arizona sliced the lead to 4-3 in the seventh on a two-out single by Stephen Drew off Dennys Reyes.

Notes: With Carpenter's three shutout innings, Cardinals starters have allowed one earned run over the last 24 innings for a 0.37 ERA. ... Pujols has four homers in St. Louis' first nine games. A year ago, he homered four times in the first seven games on his way to a club-record 14 homers in April.

[Associated Press; By ANDREW BAGNATO]

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