Dempster stifles Cards to push Cubs to 6-2 victory

[August 11, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Ryan Dempster earned his 13th win and the Chicago Cubs beat St. Louis 6-2 on Sunday night in a game in which Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter left with another injury.

Ronny Cedeno's double capped a five-run sixth inning for the Cubs. Carpenter, making his third start since opening day last year, left the game during the inning with a strained right triceps. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery in July 2007.

Carpenter (0-1) pitched 5 1-3 innings, allowing six hits and four runs -- two earned - as the Cardinals fell seven games behind the first-place Cubs in the NL Central.

Dempster (13-5) took a shutout into the seventh before Joe Mather hit a two-out RBI double. Albert Pujols then greeted rookie reliever Jeff Samardzija with another run-scoring double to make it 6-2 before Ryan Ludwick struck out.

Closer-turned-starter Dempster, now 11-2 at Wrigley Field this season, allowed six hits and two runs in 6 2-3 innings.

Derrek Lee's RBI single after a leadoff double by Alfonso Soriano and an infield out put the Cubs up 2-0 in the sixth.

After Aramis Ramirez walked, Carpenter made two pitches to Jim Edmonds before manager Tony La Russa and team trainer went to the mound and removed the right-hander.

Ron Villone was given as much time as he needed to warmup. He got Edmonds to hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Adam Kennedy that looked like a possible double play, but the ball went through him for an error and Chicago scored its third run.

Brad Thompson relieved and Mark DeRosa delivered an RBI single. Geovany Soto followed with another single before Cedeno doubled to deep right-center to make it 6-0. He was thrown out at third trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

The Cubs took advantage of a first St. Louis error to manufacture an unearned run in the second inning. Ramirez hit a broken-bat single to right center, and when Ludwick fumbled the ball for an error, he made it to second. He moved to third on Edmonds' long fly to center and scored on DeRosa's sacrifice fly, just beating Ludwick's throw to the plate.

The Cardinals missed several chances against Dempster. Troy Glaus singled and Yadier Molina singled on a hit-and-run in the fourth, but Edmonds denied his former team with a nice diving catch of Carpenter's sinking liner with runners at second and third to end the inning.

Notes: Cubs manager Lou Piniella wants more production from All-Star outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. If he doesn't start producing, the Cubs' right fielder and biggest offseason acquisition (four years, $48 million) could have his playing time reduced. "We need him to start hitting," Piniella said before Sunday's game. And if Fukudome doesn't get out of his slump, Piniella said he would have to start looking for other options. That could mean more playing time for Reed Johnson in right or for Mike Fontenot at second with Mark DeRosa moving from second to right. Fukudome went 0-for-4 Sunday night and is in a 30-for-138 slump over his last 39 games. ... Cardinals OF Rick Ankiel was out of the starting lineup for a 14th straight game with an abdominal strain.

[Associated Press; By RICK GANO]

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