Cardinal Bats Lift Morris In Win

Bo Hart, Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen hit solo homers in the first to erase a three run homer from Ken Griffey Jr. in the top half of the inning. A two-out four-run rally in the second gave the Cardinals the cushion they needed for a 9-6 win over the Reds. Matt Morris continued his month-long struggle on the mound. Coming into the game he had a 13.50 ERA in June. Last night he gave up five runs but still got his eighth win of the season. Bo Hart went 3-5 upping his batting average to .500 and his homer was the first of his career. Jim Edmonds’ home run was his 20th and Rolen’s blast was his 13th. Albert Pujols was 2-5 driving in two runs, giving him 68 RBI’s on the season. Jason Isringhausen worked the ninth inning, striking out two, to earn his second save of the season. The victory moved the Cardinals to within a game of the first-place Cubs. St. Louis and Houston are tied for second place in the N.L. Central.