St. Louis Cardinals sweep past Brewers 7-28-07

ST. LOUIS -- Anthony Reyes got in the win column, Scott Rolen was a power source, and the Cardinals enjoyed a sniff of contention. Things felt an awful lot like 2006 for a few hours at Busch Stadium on Saturday.

Hours after they stood on the cusp of hopelessness, the Cardinals may have reason to believe again. St. Louis completed a doubleheader sweep of first-place Milwaukee with a 5-2 win on Saturday night, pulling within seven games of the Brewers in the National League Central. It's the closest the Redbirds have been to the division lead since they were 6 1/2 back on the morning of June 18.

Reyes, called up from Triple-A Memphis for a spot start, pitched six excellent and efficient innings for his first regular-season win since Sept. 3, 2006 -- a span of 17 starts and 12 decisions. Reyes received a three-run lead in the first inning and never relinquished it. He allowed two runs on two hits over six innings, striking out four with one walk.

"I figured it might be a one-way deal," said Reyes, "so I kind of used that. There might be no tomorrow, so I just kind of left it all on the field."

Reyes did it all while facing the specter of an immediate demotion. At the same time Reyes was activated, the Cardinals had reliever Andy Cavazos in the clubhouse, ready to take his roster spot on Sunday. However, after Reyes' performance, manager Tony La Russa said that plan may be in doubt.

"You get what you earn," La Russa said, "and he definitely earned a big game for us tonight. ... It's the same old deal we talk about, we pick the five best. And this guy tonight looked like he might be one of the five best."

As for Rolen, his two-out, first-inning double put the Cards ahead by a run, and he added a second double six innings later. That made three two-baggers on the day, and five extra-base hits since he received a cortisone injection in his shoulder on July 18. Rolen had five extra-base hits in his previous 112 at-bats.

"I feel like I'm in a good position right now and swinging the bat well," Rolen said. "I'm getting the bat head out. I certainly hadn't done that for a while. Probably the coincidence is too striking not to make something of it."

Jim Edmonds followed Rolen in the first by rapping a two-run single to make it 3-0. Milwaukee pulled closer, and trailed by only a run in the seventh, when Albert Pujols and Juan Encarnacion hit consecutive run-scoring singles to stretch the advantage back out again.

The Cards bullpen made the lead stick. Ryan Franklin tossed two innings with only a hit batter as a blemish, and Jason Isringhausen pitched the ninth for his 20th save. For the day, St. Louis relievers pitched nine innings and allowed one hit.

The victory completed a striking turnaround for the Redbirds. They entered the ninth inning of the opening game facing a two-run deficit, but rallied for three in their last at-bat. At 2:30 p.m. CT, St. Louis was facing the very real possibility of a 10-game deficit. By 10 p.m., the gap stood at seven, and shrinking.

"I think it's a big swing," Rolen said. "It was obviously a very big win this afternoon, when we were able to come back and put ourselves in a better position. [Sunday is] a big game also."

Reyes needed a mere 67 pitches to get through six innings, and might well have stayed in the game longer if his spot had not come up in the batting order. He threw his fastball often -- and for strikes -- allowing him to be more effective with his curveball and changeup.

With Mike Maroth struggling and Brad Thompson dealing with a blister, Reyes' game may have been more of an audition than anyone expected beforehand. His latest exile to Memphis may finally have served as the tonic to right a pitcher whose ability is undeniable.

"I went down there and figured out some things, and just kind of worked on mechanics a little bit," he said. "I tried to get back to some of the mechanics I had in years prior. It feels like it's coming together a little bit. I've still got some things to work on, but it felt a lot better today."

Credit for story to: Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com.