Reggie Sanders led the way with 6 RBIs in the Cardinals 8-5 win over San Diego in game 1 of their division series. Facing a 3-0 count with the bases loaded in the 5th, Sanders swung away and launched a no-doubter into the left field seats. Carpenter was solid on the mound, while Izzy was his usual seft, making it a little too interesting in the 9th.

Matt Morris’ last start at Busch is one he’d like to forget as he allowed 5 runs in 3 innings, but the bullpen came to the rescue and pitched 6 shut-out innings. After the bottom of the order got the Cards back into the game, Reggie Sanders and Chris Duncan each hit solo shots in the 5th to put the Cards up for good. Isringhausen made it interesting in the 9th, but the Cards held on and earned their 100th win in the final game of the regular season.

Another shaky September outing by Carpenter was helped by 2 Reggie Sanders homeruns. It wasn’t enough as the Astros pulled out the game 7-6. Note the guy in the red shirt in the 3rd picture below as he leads the “REG-GIE” chant.

One can’t fully appreciate Busch’s illuminated arches from ground level. These were shot using a tripod from the roof of the parking garage to the west of the stadium.

This game started out like a typical Carpenter outing. The Cards jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, and Carp cruised through the first 6 innings before allowing 3 runs in the 7th to tie the game. With 2 outs in the 9th, Luna singled and stole second. After a curious intentional walk to John Rodriguez, Eckstein won the game for the Cardinals on a bloop hit to right.