Zambrano, who hit Edmonds twice, ejected

CHICAGO (AP) -- On a night when emotions raged and tempers

flared, Scott Rolen delivered again for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rolen connected for a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning

off fiery Carlos Zambrano and sent them to a 5-4 win over the

Chicago Cubs on Monday night.

Zambrano's outing ended one pitch after Rolen's homer when he

hit Jim Edmonds for a second time and was ejected.

"He's an emotional guy," Rolen said of Zambrano. "But I don't

believe what went on the field tonight outside of baseball deserves

any words."

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa did have some words to share,

though.

"I don't care what the rivalry is, what the circumstance is,

what the standings are, you are not allowed to cross the line in

this game and their pitcher crossed it twice," LaRussa said.

"It was pretty clear."

The Cardinals homered three times and won for the 12th time in

14 games this month to increase their NL Central lead over the Cubs

to nine games.

Zambrano (9-5) hit Edmonds with a pitch in the first to load the

bases. Then the young Cubs All-Star became angered when Edmonds

homered in the fourth and hesitated before leaving the plate to

admire the flight of the ball.

As Edmonds neared home plate, Zambrano began yelling in the

direction of the Cardinals' star.

"I just told him to run the bases and don't try to be cocky,"

Zambrano said.

Seconds later, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett began jawing with

someone in the Cardinals' dugout and had to be restrained by home

plate umpire Joe Brinkman.

The benches emptied briefly, but order was restored quickly and

no punches were thrown.

"I have a job to do and that's to protect my pitcher. And when

I was looking over the dugout one of their players asked me what I

was looking at," Barrett said, declining to identify the Cardinals

player.

"I just got a little irritated by that. ... Unfortunately I

didn't react the way I probably could have. I sort of erupted. In

the heat of the moment unfortunately those things happen."

Rolen's two-out homer in the eighth broke a 3-all tie. Then

Zambrano, who allowed five hits and five runs in his 7 2-3 innings,

plunked Edmonds for the second time.

"I didn't try to hit him. I just tried to make my pitch and the

ball went out of my hand," Zambrano said.

Earlier, after striking Edmonds out on three pitches in the

sixth, Zambrano wagged his finger at Edmonds as he walked away from

the plate.

Chris Carpenter (10-4) got his 10th victory and fourth of the

season against the Cubs, allowing 12 hits and four runs in eight

innings.

Jason Isringhausen pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 27

chances.

"It was an emotional game. It began because who we were playing

in the series," Carpenter said of the long and heated rivalry

between the two teams.

"My job is to go out there and not concern myself with what is

going on around me. I was able to do that."

With the game tied at 3, Tony Womack walked to start the eighth

and made it to third on a passed ball and a sacrifice. After Albert

Pujols fanned, Rolen hit his 20th homer of the season, giving him

86 RBI.

When Zambrano hit Edmonds with the next pitch, Brinkman

immediately ejected him.

Sammy Sosa grounded out in the eighth and as he made his way to

the dugout stopped at the mound and said something to Carpenter.

What did Sosa say? "Nothing," Carpenter said. Sosa wasn't

available for comment.

Moises Alou then hit a homer to bring the Cubs within 5-4.

Edgar Renteria's solo shot put the Cards up 3-0 in the fifth but

the Cubs rallied to tie in the bottom of the inning on Mark

Grudzielanek's sacrifice fly and a two-run single by Alou.

Cards' right fielder Reggie Sanders threw out Aramis Ramirez at

the plate in the sixth after he'd doubled and tried to score on

Barrett's bloop single.

^Notes:@ The Cards now lead the season series 10-8. The teams meet

for a final time this season Tuesday. ... The Cards are a major

league-best 30-16 on the road.