Sonnanstine tames Cardinals in Rays' 3-1 victory (AP)
By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer 17 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS - Andy Sonnanstine carried a shutout into the eighth inning and added two singles to a 12-hit outburst in the streaking Tampa Bay Rays' 3-1 victory over the sagging St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.
Akinori Iwamura had three hits and an RBI for the AL East leaders, who are eight games above .500 for the first time in franchise history. Iwamura is on a 9-for-21 tear for the Rays (25-17), who have won eight of nine with three shutouts while outscoring the opposition 38-15.
Albert Pujols was 0-for-4 with two groundouts, an infield popup and a strikeout, ending his streak of reaching base in all 42 games to start the season. It also ended Pujols' 14-game hitting streak, and he made his first error of the year at first base, muffing B.J. Upton's soft liner in the seventh.
Chris Duncan homered and Troy Glaus had two hits, making him 10-for-18 the last four games, for the Cardinals. But St. Louis has lost eight of 10, including three of the first four games of a six-game homestand.
Sonnanstine (6-1) is 5-0 in his last six starts, matching last year's win total in a 6-10 season. Duncan's fourth homer with one out in the eighth was the only damage against the right-hander, who yielded one run and eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
He allowed only three other baserunners into scoring position before Troy Percival worked a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances. Rays starters have a 1.16 ERA in the last 10 games.
Braden Looper, in his second year in the Cardinals' rotation, threw a career-high 117 pitches while giving up three runs and 10 hits in six innings. The Rays stranded at least one runner in every inning, including two in the fourth.
Looper (5-3) was 0-3 with a 12.56 ERA in interleague play last year and is 6-7 with a 5.57 ERA for his career.
Sonnanstine is 4-for-8 at the plate for his career after starting a two-run third with a single and also singling in the fourth. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena had RBI singles in the third. Iwamura added an RBI single for a 3-0 lead in the fourth.