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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Matt Morris enjoys pitching against the New
York Mets.
|  | | Matt Morris pitched seven shutout innings Friday and hasn't given up a home run in his last 28 innings. |
Morris shut down New York for seven innings, and Jim Edmonds and
Placido Polanco each had three hits, to lead the St. Louis
Cardinals over the last-place Mets 9-0 Friday night.
"I like pitching against them, my family is watching the game
on television back in New York," Morris said. "Its always nice to
face them. Everybody back home is watching and I feel there's a
real rivalry there after last year."
The Mets, who beat the Cardinals to win the NLCS last year, have
lost four straight and nine of 13, dropping to 8-13. St. Louis is
3-1 on its six-game homestand.
"We can't let this string buckle us," Mets starter Kevin
Appier said. "This game will test your resiliency and we're being
tested right now. We still have confidence in ourselves."
Morris missed all of 1999 after reconstructive elbow surgery and
pitched only in relief last year. But the injury is not a
motivational tool for him.
"People bring it up every time I pitch a good game, but that's
old, it was two years ago," Morris said. "Tons of guys have this
injury and come back from it, it's old news to me."
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Morris was under a lot of
pressure after the team used seven pitchers in a 15-inning loss
Thursday.
"He pitched a great game. The 'pen was real short after
yesterday," La Russa said. "It was kind of a scary game. We had a
big crowd for the first game of the series and a lot of people here
aren't going to understand it if Matt has a rough outing.
"We only had three pitchers available behind Matt and that's
scary unless your starter does what he did."
Morris (3-2) allowed five hits in seven innings, struck out
three and walked one, lowering his ERA from 4.13 to 3.19.
Morris has not allowed a home run in his last 28 innings after
giving up two in his first start this year.
Jason Karnuth and Steve Kline finished the six-hitter, the
Cardinals' first shutout of the season. The Mets have been blanked
four times. Last year, they were shut out nine times.
Appier (2-2) allowed five runs and 10 hits in five innings. He
had not allowed more than three runs in his four previous starts
this year.
Ray Lankford hit an RBI single in the first and Albert Pujols
made it 2-0 with a run-scoring grounder in the third.
Edmonds, who had three hits, tripled home a run in the fifth and
scored on a double by Pujols, who came around on a single by Eli
Marerro for a 5-0 lead.
Polanco, who also had three hits, had an RBI single in the sixth
and scored on Pujols' second double of the game to make the score
7-0.
J.D. Drew hit his seventh homer in the seventh inning, a two-run
drive off Jerrod Riggan.
Game notes
Edgardo Alfonso, who had homered in each of his previous
four games to tie a Mets record held by six others, was 0-for-4.
... Mets starters have lasted only 16 innings combined in the last
four games. ... Cardinals pinch hitters are five for their last six
with a walk. ... Lankford has struck out 10 times in his last 15
at-bats and has 26 this season.
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OTHER GAMES
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RECAPS
Boston 9
Kansas City 2
Texas 11
Cleveland 9
Detroit 4
Tampa Bay 2
NY Yankees 3
Oakland 2
Toronto 12
Anaheim 4
Seattle 8
Chi. White Sox 3
Minnesota 6
Baltimore 3
Florida 9
Houston 8
Montreal 6
Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 9
NY Mets 0
Cincinnati 12
Colorado 9
Atlanta 9
Arizona 0
Pittsburgh 3
San Diego 0
Chicago Cubs 7
San Francisco 3
Los Angeles 4
Philadelphia 3
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