Lopez hands Cardinals 4-3 11-inning win over Cubs

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Trying to avoid their fourth straight loss and solidify their spot atop the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals were saved by an extra-inning home run – not from any of their usual suspects, but from Felipe Lopez.

Lopez’s 11th-inning homer helped the Cardinals beat the Cubs 4-3 to end their losing streak and avoid a three-game sweep in Chicago Sunday night.

The Cardinals (55-44) took a half-game lead in the Central. Their main competition for the division lead, Cincinnati, lost 4-0 at Houston Sunday. Chicago is 10 games out in fourth place.

Lopez provided the winning run in the 11th inning with his two-out, no-doubt homer off Chicago reliever Brian Schlitter to right, after which he flipped his bat, raised his hands and hopped, à la Sammy Sosa, out of the batter’s box.

Cubs pinch hitter Xavier Nady led off the bottom of the inning with a bloop single, but Chicago couldn’t push him home as St. Louis’ Dennys Reyes struck out Kosuke Fukudome to end the game.

The Cardinals struck first against Chicago starter Ryan Dempster in the second inning. Jon Jay led off with a triple to the wall in right-center and Skip Schumaker drove him in with a bloop single.

Pitcher Chris Carpenter then sacrificed Schumaker to second, and Brendan Ryan’s single up the middle scored Schumaker for a 2-0 St. Louis edge.

The Cubs (45-54) cut their deficit in half in the fourth when Derrek Lee led off with a double into the left-field corner and came home on Marlon Byrd’s one-out single to left-center.

Chicago took its first lead one inning later. Ryan Theriot tripled past a diving Jay to score Geovany Soto, who had walked, to tie the game before Starlin Castro’s two-out single knocked in Theriot.

But Albert Pujols stole the Cubs’ lead and momentum immediately, hitting a leadoff shot to left to lead off the sixth. St. Louis almost took the lead back, but Byrd fielded a two-out Carpenter single up the middle and threw Schumaker, who had doubled, out at home to end the inning.

Both teams loaded the bases in the 10th but couldn’t push a run across. Matt Holliday, Jay and Schumaker hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases for St. Louis before Schlitter (0-1) got Yadier Molina to ground into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the frame, Tyler Colvin reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second, Castro was hit by a pitch and Aramis Ramirez reached on a Schumaker error, but Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin (5-1) struck out Byrd looking to strand three runners.

Schumaker went 4-for-4 to lead St. Louis. Ryan Ludwick, Jay and Ryan had multiple-hit nights. Reyes earned his first save of the season.

Carpenter pitched seven innings and yielded three runs on nine hits. He struck out four batters and walked one. With the no-decision, he remains 10-3 against the Cubs all-time.

Dempster also threw seven frames, allowing three runs on nine hits with four walks and four strikeouts. He’s allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 starts.

Byrd, Alfonso Soriano and Theriot posted two-hit performances.

NOTES: Chicago hasn’t swept the Cardinals at home since taking four straight from July 27-30, 2006. … The Cubs’ series win breaks a 10-series losing skid in division play and is just their third all season. They last beat a Central team by sweeping Milwaukee April 23-25 and dropped a combined six series against woeful Pittsburgh and Houston during that time. … St. Louis is an MLB-best 39-9 when scoring first this season. … Holliday ran his hitting streak to 11 games with his 10th-inning single. … Cubs reliever Sean Marshall posted his 10th straight scoreless appearance. … Nady had just three hits in his last 39 at-bats before his pinch-hit single. … The Cardinals are off Monday before a three-game road set with the Mets. Jaime Garcia will pitch Tuesday night. Chicago heads to Houston for three, with Carlos Silva – who allowed five runs in one inning in a loss to the Astros last Monday – pitching Monday’s series opener.

BOX SCORE

Photo above: Felipe Lopez watches his game-winning 11th-inning homer Sunday. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

Video credit – ESPN