Renteria Helps Cards Finish Sweep
Shortstop delivers five hits in victory
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
August 08, 2004
ST. LOUIS -- The Busch Stadium scoreboard displayed birthday greetings to Cardinals shortstop Edgar Renteria on Sunday afternoon. The only problem -- Renteria turned 29 on Saturday, not Sunday.
However, never one to spoil a party, Renteria rapped out a career-high-tying five base hits as the Cardinals cruised past the Mets, 6-2. So Taguchi added a two-run double in the deciding fourth inning, and Jason Marquis allowed a run over six innings for his 12th win.
The Cardinals lost left fielder Reggie Sanders to a bruised left elbow in the fourth inning. Sanders was hit by a pitch in the third, driving in the go-ahead run. He stayed in to play defense in the top of the fourth, but was removed for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning. He is expected to miss Tuesday's game at Florida, and probably at least one more contest.
The Cards won their fifth straight, improved to 18-6 since the All-Star break and are 49-16 since May 26. Their 72-38 record is the best in baseball and the franchise's second-best 110-game mark since 1944.
It might have been Renteria's last day batting in the No. 2 spot in the order for quite a while. New acquisition Larry Walker may move into that position on Tuesday, with Renteria dropping back to the sixth or seventh slot. The shortstop wasn't complaining about that or anything else on Sunday, though.
"It's always special to get five hits in a game," he said. "It's huge, and it's better since we won the game.
"When I hit like that, it's because I see the ball better. When I see the ball better, I don't try to do too much. Wherever the pitch goes, I try to hit the ball that way."
Walker gave the Cardinals' faithful something else to cheer about with an RBI double in the fourth inning. It was his first hit as a Redbird, in his first start since a trade on Friday. He went 0-for-1 with a walk Saturday after coming into the game as a pinch-hitter.
Back to 2004 Articles Page