NL: Cardinals make powerful statement, erupt in ninth

CINCINNATI - Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer off closer Danny Graves, and John Mabry added a two-run shot that completed the biggest ninth-inning comeback in St. Louis Cardinals history Monday night, a 10-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s disputed homer - a drive that hit the top of the wall and bounced back - helped Cincinnati pull ahead 9-3 after eight innings. The Cardinals then sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the ninth.

"It was like an ugly game gone uglier," Edmonds said. "It was just a wild game."

One that neither the Reds nor their 15,961 booing fans will soon forget. Cincinnati hadn't surrendered a six-run lead in the ninth since June 29, 1952, when an 8-2 advantage turned into a 9-8 loss to the Cubs.

"That's what you've got to do, but it's not easy to think about during the night," Reds manager Dave Miley said, staring straight ahead as he tried to put it behind him. "It's not easy to give a big-league game away, but we did."

David Weathers let in the first two, and Edmonds cut it to 9-8 with a two-out homer, his sixth. After first baseman Sean Casey's fielding error prolonged it, Mabry hit his first homer of the season off Graves, who failed to record a save for the first time in nine chances.

The Reds appeared to have the game well in hand after they scored four runs in the eighth.

Julian Tavarez closed out the Cardinals' biggest comeback win of the season by pitching the ninth for his second save.

The NL Central leaders went 14-5 against the Reds last season, and have won two of three this year. All the Reds could win on Monday was a home-run dispute.

Griffey failed to hit a homer in his first 79 at-bats, the longest drought of his career to start a season. He broke it with a shot in Milwaukee on Saturday that barely cleared the wall in center.

Television replays confirmed that his second homer of the season didn't even make it that far.

METS 5, PHILLIES 1: Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings of four-hit ball.

Beltran's fourth homer of the season broke a 1-1 tie. New York's Cliff Floyd had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest run in the majors this season.

The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 17 minutes by rain.

GIANTS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 8 (10): Moises Alou doubled in a run with two outs in the 10th inning to give visiting San Francisco its sixth straight victory. Catcher Mike Matheny hit San Francisco's fourth grand slam of the season, but his passed ball on what would have been the third out of the seventh inning cleared the way for pinch-hitter Tony Clark's three-run double that tied it at 7.

NATIONALS 6, DODGERS 2: Esteban Loaiza allowed one run in six innings for his first win, pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga singled to drive in the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Loaiza gave up three hits while walking three and striking out seven before being lifted in favor of Baerga, who picked up his third hit and second RBI of the season to cap a two-run rally.

ASTROS 11, PIRATES 4: Andy Pettitte pitched effectively into the eighth inning, and Craig Biggio homered and drove in four runs.

Biggio also got his 400th career stolen base in the first inning and scored three times. He finished with three hits, helping Houston improve to 10-3 at home. The Astros are just 1-10 on the road.

PADRES 5, ROCKIES 4: Adam Hyzdu hit a three-run double in the second inning and manager Bruce Bochy's radical lineup paid off in host San Diego's win. It was the Rockies' sixth straight loss.

[Last modified May 3, 2005, 02:06:45]