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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Even though it didn't decide the game, Rick
Ankiel's latest shaky start was the No. 1 topic in the St. Louis
Cardinals' clubhouse.
|  | | Tony Armas gave up two runs in five innings, and was one of eight pitchers used by the Expos. |
Milton Bradley drew a bases-loaded walk in the 15th inning – 10
innings after Ankiel had been removed – as the Montreal Expos won
4-3 Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.
Ankiel, who wasn't announced as the starter until just before
game time, allowed three runs, six hits and four walks in 4 1-3
innings. He is 1-2 with a 6.23 ERA and 17 walks in 17 1-3 innings
this year.
"Keeping things in perspective, I think he feels like it's a
step in the right direction," pitching coach Dave Duncan said.
"Is he happy with that performance? Probably not. He also
recognizes getting this thing together isn't going to just happen,
it's going to take a little time."
Jose Vidro and Fernando Tatis homered on consecutive pitches off
Ankiel in the third.
"I left two balls up to two key guys in their lineup, and they
took advantage of it," Ankiel said. "What are you going to do?"
Ankiel, who lasted only three innings in his previous start,
said he was encouraged. For one thing, he was able to throw his
fastball for strikes.
"Today I was able to get it in there, so we'll see," Ankiel
said. "I just want to keep being able to throw my fastball."
Ankiel threw 72 pitches, 38 for strikes, and only one pitch went
to the backstop. His best inning was the fourth, when he needed
only nine pitches to retire the bottom of the order.
But he issued two four-pitch walks in the fifth and threw one
ball to the backstop before departing with one out. Duncan said
Ankiel slowed his tempo in the fifth.
"The fourth was outstanding," Duncan said. "He had everything
back together, and that's what we'll try to build on."
Ankiel threw five wild pitches in one inning in the NL playoffs
last fall.
The St. Louis bullpen had shut out the Expos for 9 2-3 innings,
allowing seven hits, before the 15th.
Mike James (1-1) walked Tatis leading off the 15th and Vladimir
Guerrero, who had been 2-for-13 in the series, doubled. Lee Stevens
was intentionally walked to load the bases and Bradley fell behind
0-2 in the count before walking.
"Those pitches were close," Bradley said. "Some times you get
a break. I know I've been rung up on worse."
Masato Yoshii (1-0), the eighth Montreal pitcher, allowed two
hits and a walk in three innings, winning the 5-hour, 32-minute
game.
Pinch-hitter Larry Sutton ended an 0-for-21 season-opening slump
with a single to tie it for St. Louis in the eighth.
Guerrero missed a chance to give the Expos the lead in the 12th.
With two outs and the bases loaded, he grounded into a force at
second off Mike Matthews, who pitched four scoreless innings.
Vidro hit his fifth homer with one out in the third and Tatis
followed with his second homer, making it 3-0.
Lee Stevens singled his first three at-bats, getting his
team-leading 22nd RBI in the first.
Tony Armas allowed two runs and eight hits in five innings and
struck out eight, remaining the lone Montreal starter without a
win.
Vina also doubled, tripled and scored twice earlier in the game,
each time on sacrifice flies by Jim Edmonds. Rookie Albert Pujols
was 3-for-6 with a triple, raising his average 12 points to .385.
The Cardinals turned a season-best five double plays in the
first eight innings, victimizing Fernando Seguinol three times.
They negated a lot of that by going 2-for-17 with runners in
scoring position, getting no runs on three hits in the second and
one run on three hits in the third.
Game notes
The Expos have won only four of their last 15, but have yet
to be swept this year. ... The Cardinals turned 20 double plays in
the first 20 games. ... Ankiel has two wild pitches this year. ...
The Cardinals haven't swept the Expos since September 1992, when
they took three games at home. ... Pujols' seventh homer on
Wednesday set an NL rookie record for April. He's one away from the
major league record held by Kent Hrbek (1982) and Carlos Delgado
(1994).
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Montreal Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Kansas City 6
Tampa Bay 0
Detroit 8
Baltimore 2
Boston 2
Minnesota 0
Cleveland 6
Anaheim 5
Seattle 7
NY Yankees 3
Oakland 16
Chi. White Sox 6
Montreal 4
St. Louis 3
Milwaukee 12
NY Mets 8
Chicago Cubs 7
Colorado 2
Cincinnati 7
San Francisco 5
San Diego 11
Philadelphia 0
Arizona 13
Atlanta 6
Los Angeles 6
Pittsburgh 3
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