Vazquez dominates Cardinals, Atlanta sweeps Cards

[September 14, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Javier Vazquez took a shutout into the ninth inning, and the Atlanta Braves roughed up Chris Carpenter in a 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Vazquez allowed a leadoff single to Skip Schumaker and then retired the next 17 batters before Schumaker reached on an infield single in the sixth. It was the 25th complete game of Vazquez's career and his second of the season.

Vazquez (13-9) has won his last three decisions. He stuck out eight while walking none. He threw just 94 pitches.

St. Louis hadn't been swept since losing three in a row at Houston July 20-22 and hadn't been swept at home since losing four straight to the Colorado Rockies June 5-8.

Carpenter, a Cy Young candidate, had his worst outing of the season. He allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in six innings pitched.

After getting two quick outs to start the third, Carpenter (16-4) gave up six runs. With the bases loaded, Adam LaRoche hit a two-run double doubled down the right-field line. Yunel Escobar then singled in two runs and Matt Diaz finished the scoring with a two-run ground-rule double.

Atlanta finished Carpenter's day in the sixth when Nate McLouth singled to right to score Diaz, who had been hit by a pitch leading off.

The loss was Carpenter's first since June 30th when the San Francisco Giants beat the Cardinals 6-3 snapping his 11-game winning streak. Carpenter's league-leading 2.16 ERA jumped to 2.45. He now trails the Giants' Tim Lincecum (2.34).

The Braves made it 8-0 in the eighth when David Ross doubled home Diaz off reliever Brad Thompson.

LaRoche hit a solo shot in the ninth, his 22nd of the season.

Matt Holliday had a two-run single in the ninth for the Cardinals.

LaRoche has now hit safely in 26 of his last 29 games.

NOTES: The Cardinals are now 5-2 against Atlanta when Carpenter starts...Braves C Brian McCann whose two run double was the game winner yesterday, is 8-for-13 (.615) since snapping an 0-for-20 spell last Thursday.

[Associated Press]

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