30-year old Marlins rookie Chuck Smith came up with his best performance and beat the Cardinals 3-1. Smith allowed St. Louis’ only run on Edgar Renteria’s solo homer in the 7th. That was enough to beat Pat Hentgen, who pitched very well after giving up Mike Lowell’s two-run blast in the first. Hentgen allowed three runs in six innings. Smith gave the Cardinals just four hits over 8 innings. St. Louis’ lead in the Central division has been shaved to 7 and 1/2 games over Cincinnati. Rookie Britt Reames will start tonight in the series finale against Florida’s Reid Cornelius.Cardinal fans can buy playoff tickets for the first round starting Saturday, September 9th at 8am. Unlike in 1996, the Cardinals say they will let fans camp out overnight for tickets, because it’s part of the experience.
