Juan Encarnacion cleared the bases with a three run double in the 6 th inning to power the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-3 win over the Colorado Rockies Thursday night in Denver, giving the Redbirds a split in their four game series with Colorado.
The Rockies led 2-1 entering the 6 th . That’s when the Cardinal bats came alive. A walk to So Taguchi and singles by Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds loaded them up for Encarnacion, drove in three runs. Encarnacion then came home on a Gary Bennett single to give the Cardinals a fourth run in the inning.
The Cards scored two more in the 8 th , followed by a Colorado run in the bottom of the 9 th to end the scoring.
St. Louis starter Brad Thompson (4-1) pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits, striking out two batters. Colorado starter Aaron Cook (4-2) took the loss.
The Cardinals (22-29) open a weekend series with the Astros Friday night in Houston. Adam Wainwright (4-4) goes to the mound for the Cards against the Astros’ Roy Oswalt (6-4).