Upton, Miranda each homer as D-backs top Cards

[April 13, 2011]  PHOENIX (AP) -- Whatever Kirk Gibson said to plate umpire Bob Davidson in the third inning Tuesday night didn't matter nearly as much as what his action meant to his players.

The Arizona manager was ejected for arguing with Davidson, presumably about two close swinging strike calls that went against Miguel Montero. The Diamondbacks seemed to feed off Gibson's fire, getting three-run homers from Justin Upton and Juan Miranda to power past the St. Louis Cardinals 13-8.

"It felt great to get some support from him," said Montero, who had two of Arizona's 14 hits. "It feels even better when he got thrown out of the game."

"It fired me up .. it gave some good enthusiasm to the team, and we keep rockin', man," he said.

The Diamondbacks rocked Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter, who was 4-0 in 10 previous career starts against them. Carpenter (0-2) gave up at least a run in each of his four innings and exited having allowed eight runs on eight hits.

"I didn't make a ton of great pitches, but even the ones that I did they hit," Carpenter said. "I was making good pitches but they were getting hits. Then you spin one into Upton and he hits it 500 feet. That's the way it works. I made some good pitches, I made some bad ones."

Upton's home run in the second inning was measured at 478 feet, believed to be the longest hit in the majors this season. Chris Young added a two-run homer for Arizona, which scored seven of its runs with two outs.

Armando Galarraga (2-0) allowed five runs on nine hits in five innings to earn the win. He labored the most in the fifth, allowing two runs before escaping a bases-loaded jam.

"It was not a good day for pitching," Galarraga said. "I'm not really happy with my outing but I got the win."

Lance Berkman, David Freese and Colby Rasmus had solo home runs for the Cardinals, who cut the lead to 9-8 on RBI singles by Berkman and Freese off reliever Kam Mickolio in the sixth. The Diamondbacks responded with four runs in the bottom half, including Miranda's pinch-hit homer.

Cardinals star Albert Pujols went 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .200.

Gibson was ejected for the first time in his managerial career. As the crowd roared, he went face-to-face with Davidson on the field and from the dugout after being tossed from the game.

"We disagreed, obviously. I'm not going to get into what was said or why. I think it's fairly obvious," Gibson said. "I just did what I had to do."

Relievers Brian Tallet and Bryan Augenstein, who allowed a combined five runs and five hits in 2 2-3 innings, both sustained injuries are likely headed to the disabled list.

Tallet suffered what the club called a significant injury to his right (non-throwing) wrist. He was hurt getting the final out of the fifth, diving to first base and colliding with the Diamondbacks' Stephen Drew. Tallet is being sent back to St. Louis for more tests.

Augenstein fell to the ground after delivering a pitch in the seventh inning and had to be helped off the field with a right groin strain.

NOTES: The Cardinals started the game with the same batting order (one through eight) on consecutive days for the first time this season. ... Gibson said INF Geoff Blum, who is on the 15-day DL with a right knee injury, has been running and could play in extended spring training games soon. ... The wife of OF Gerardo Parra gave birth to the couple's first child, son Gerardo, Monday night. Parra was back in the Arizona lineup Tuesday. ... Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals took batting practice before Tuesday's game and struggled to make solid contact with the ball. After saying he wouldn't try baseball if the NFL lockout continues to drag out, he said that resolving the labor issue is "up to the shirts and ties now to get it done," and that he would love to be back on the football field.

[Associated Press]

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