Daily Journal Online
Miles' grand slam gives Cardinals 4-game sweep
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
Jul 21, 2008 - 06:22:16 CDT

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Aaron Miles' grand slam in the ninth inning, the first game-ending hit of his career, helped the St. Louis Cardinals recover from another blown save by Jason Isringhausen in a 9-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday that wrapped up a four-game sweep.

Troy Glaus' three-run homer off Heath Bell in the eighth gave the Cardinals a two-run lead but the Padres rallied against Isringhausen, who blew his eighth save in 19 chances. He was booed by a sellout crowd after allowing three straight one-out hits, including an RBI double by Edgar Gonzalez.

Isringhausen got the shot at his first save since May 5 because replacement closer Ryan Franklin, who is 14-for-18, needed a day off after a two-inning save on Saturday.

Brad Thompson (2-2) allowed a tying RBI double by Kevin Kouzmanoff before retiring Luke Carlin and Adrian Gonzalez with the bases loaded.

Cha Seung Baek pitched into the seventh and added his first career home run for the Padres, who have lost six in a row and have been swept five times in series of three or more games. Scott Hairston hit his fourth career leadoff homer, three coming this year.

The Padres coughed up a five-run lead Saturday and a three-run cushion Friday, and led 3-1 after six innings Sunday.

Bryan Corey (1-2) walked Albert Pujols on four pitches with one out in the ninth and Pujols went to third on a wild pickoff throw by catcher Carlin, an eighth-inning substitute. Pinch-hitter Yadier Molina and Skip Schumaker were walked to load the bases before Miles hit his second career slam, and only his third homer of the season, on a 2-1 pitch.

Pujols and Rick Ankiel added an RBI apiece for the Cardinals, who have won five straight and rallied to win in each game of the series against the sagging Padres, taking the finale in 95-degree heat. Pujols' pinch-hit sacrifice fly off Mike Adams shaved the deficit to one run in the seventh.

Glaus also singled and scored in the seventh and is batting .528 (19-for-36) with five homers during a career-best nine-game hitting streak. He has 18 homers on the year after going to the final day of May with only two, and belted a 1-1 pitch from Bell well over the wall in left-center.

Baek allowed one earned run in 6 1-3 innings. He was 1-for-11 for his career at the plate before homering to the power alley off rookie Jaime Garcia, a two-run shot in the fifth that put the Padres ahead 3-1, and conserved his strength for the mound with an ultra-slow trot once he knew the ball had cleared the fence.

Schumaker just missed a leaping catch in left on Hairston's drive to open the game, the ball ticking off the top of his glove and over the wall before bounding back onto the field. The play was at first ruled a double but changed after a long conference involving all four umpires in the middle of the infield.

Ankiel had an RBI double in the first. He was 7-for-17 in the series with two homers and six RBIs.

Garcia, a 22-year-old left-hander who began the season at Double-A Springfield, made his first career start and gave up three runs on five hits in five innings.

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