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Byrnes' single in 10th lifts D'backs over Cards

AFTER blowing a late lead, the Arizona Diamondbacks needed a big hit.

They got it from Eric Byrnes, whose 1-for-17 slump had brought boos from the Chase Field faithful.

Byrnes turned the jeers to cheers by lining a two-out RBI single to give the Diamondbacks a 7-6 victory over the St Louis Cardinals in 10 innings on Tuesday night.

The hit to left field came on the first delivery from Brad Thompson (0-1) and scored Justin Upton from third base. Upton had snapped out of an 0-for-15 slide with a single - and he was only one of the slumping hitters on a team that entered with a .225 batting average, 14th in the National League.

"Both those guys, they're in the game, regardless," said Arizona manager Bob Melvin, who had run out of position players in the ninth. "And they're just going to have to grind through it. They know they're in there, and they ended up coming up with the two biggest hits. So hopefully that's good for both of them going forward."

After being mobbed by his teammates, the usually talkative Byrnes left without speaking to reporters.

Elsewhere in the NL, it was: Marlins 5, Braves 1; and Reds 6, Brewers 1.

In the American League, it was: Mariners 3, Angels 2 (in 10 innings); Yankees 7, Rays 2; Orioles 7, Rangers 5 (10 innings); Twins 3, Blue Jays 2 (11 innings); Royals 9, Indians 3; and Athletics 6, Red Sox 5 (12 innings).

The defeat in Phoenix, Arizona, was especially painful for the Cardinals, who lost starting pitcher Chris Carpenter to a ribcage injury. Carpenter, who has not allowed a run in 10 innings, was removed in the fourth inning after straining his left ribcage swinging the bat.

The Cardinals led 3-0 at the time, and Carpenter had stranded runners at second base in each of the first three innings.

Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed four hits in three innings, striking out two.

The 33-year-old right-hander made only four appearances last season after reconstructive elbow surgery. He underwent another procedure in November to transpose an elbow nerve that was irritating the muscles in the back of his shoulder and around his neck.

Now it appears Carpenter is headed for the disabled list again. "I'm not happy," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I ain't going to fake it."

The feeling was different in Arizona's clubhouse.




 

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