Back with a blast: Ankiel leads Cards past Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

08/10/2007 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Ankiel made a smashing return to the majors, belting a three-run homer, and Joel Pineiro threw seven shutout innings as the Cardinals blanked the San Diego Padres, 5-0, in the finale of a four-game set at Busch Stadium.

Ankiel had been plagued by injuries and control problems since breaking into the majors as a pitcher in 1999, but he resurfaced as a power-hitting outfielder and had his contract purchased from Triple-A Memphis before the game. He started in right field and hit second in the lineup, finishing the game 1-for-4 with the big blast in the seventh inning.

Ankiel was leading the Pacific Coast League with 32 home runs at time of purchase and was tied for second with 89 RBI. He won 11 games and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2000, but retired as a pitcher in March, 2005 due to control problems and then missed the entire 2006 season due to left knee surgery. However, he returned to the majors with a vengeance on Thursday and even got a curtain call after clubbing his third career major league homer.

Pineiro (1-1), making his second start as a Cardinal after the team acquired him from Boston on July 31, gave up four hits and fanned four without allowing a walk.

Yadier Molina had three hits and an RBI for the Cardinals, who won three of the four contests in the series.

Chris Young (9-4), activated from the disabled list prior to the contest, yielded three hits and four runs while walking five over six-plus frames for the Padres. Young, who had been sidelined with a strained oblique muscle, still leads the majors with a 2.02 ERA.

Scott Hairston had two of San Diego's four hits. The Padres had won four in a row before this series.

The Cardinals scored four times in the seventh inning. Chris Duncan walked and Molina singled to put runners at the corners. When pinch-hitter So Taguchi walked, a wild pitch by Young allowed St. Louis' second run to score. Doug Brocail then replaced Young and managed to get outs from the next two batters before Ankiel drilled a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right field.

Ankiel's hit even drew a rare smile from a clapping Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.

Troy Percival and Tyler Johnson each threw a hitless inning to finish the game for the Cardinals.

Believe it or not, there were a couple of other major moves from both teams before the game. The Cardinals put infielder Scott Spiezio on Major League Baseball's restricted list due to an apparent substance abuse problem. Spiezio came forward to the team concerned about possible problems related to substances he was taking unbeknown to the club's medical staff. The team didn't specify which substance Spiezio has been taking.

The Padres designated left-handed veteran David Wells for assignment. Wells, who apparently is mulling retirement, is 5-8 with a 5.54 earned run average this season.

San Diego wasted doubles in the second, third and fourth innings, before the Cardinals broke on top in their half of the fourth. Scott Rolen singled with two outs and Duncan walked. Molina then singled to right field for the game's first run.

The Cardinals also got good defense as Hairston was thrown out by Duncan trying to stretch a hit into a double to start the sixth.

Game Notes

The Cardinals went 4-3 against the Padres this season...Ankiel was originally drafted by St. Louis in 1997 and made his big league debut in '99 as a lefthanded pitcher before he announced his retirement as a pitcher during spring training of 2005 to focus on becoming an outfielder. La Russa needs 11 wins to tie Red Schoendienst (1,041) for first all-time on the St. Louis list...The Cardinals host the Dodgers for three games this weekend, while the Padres are on the road for three at Cincinnati.