Zigeunerzelt » Mountains in recognition of

ST. LOUIS -- Michael Wacha is glad hes graduated to a pennant race. After finishing his college career at Texas A&M just over a year ago, the rookie pitched seven shutout innings and drove in two runs as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-2 Sunday for a three-game sweep. The Cardinals outscored Pittsburgh 26-10 overall in taking the NL Central lead. "It helped me going to A&M and playing in those big-time games and I guess gets me prepared for it," Wacha said. "So I just try not to think too much. I go out there and try to go out there and just trust myself. It ended up working out pretty well." The Pirates arrived at Busch Stadium this weekend with a 1 1/2-game division lead and a chance to cement their first winning season since 1992. They left trailing the Cardinals by 1 1/2 games and still stuck on 81 victories. This was the last time this season Pittsburgh and St. Louis were scheduled to play. Wacha (3-0) allowed two hits and walked two, both of which were erased on double plays. He struck out two and never had more than one runner on at a time. Wacha hasnt allowed a run in 19 2-3 consecutive innings. "A young pitcher coming in and just staying within himself, really establishing the strike zone early," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "It seemed like he made some really good pitches as he got deeper into the game. Hes just making pitches all day. Its impressive." Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton (7-4) left with discomfort in his left foot in the second inning. He allowed five runs on six hits and two walks in 1 2-3 innings. Morton left for Pittsburgh before the game was over and wont join the team in Texas where it starts a three-game series Monday. Manager Clint Hurdle said he didnt know the extent of Mortons injury. Hurdle said Morton was hurt when he was backing up a base. "We werent sharp in any particular area of the game all weekend," Hurdle said. "They were much sharper than us across the board. Its very difficult to win a game when you are not functioning." Morton hadnt surrendered more than two runs since the Cardinals tagged him for five in a 13-0 victory on Aug. 1 in Pittsburgh. He went on to win his next three decisions over five starts, including a no-decision after giving up two runs in seven innings on Aug. 13 at St. Louis. Wacha got his second career hit with a single up the middle on the first pitch he saw from Vin Mazzaro in a four-run fifth that scored David Freese and Matt Adams. St. Louis used 10 batters in the 28-minute inning -- exactly how long Wacha needed to get through six innings of pitching. "That was a lot of fun," Wacha said of his hit. "I told myself that I was going to hop on the first heater. I was able to sneak it by the shortstop up the middle. I was pretty fired up about that." Wacha also helped set up a three-run second with a sacrifice bunt that pushed Pete Kozma to third in front of consecutive doubles from Matt Carpenter and Jon Jay. Jay scored on Mortons final offering, a wild pitch that bounced just in front of the left-handed batters box. The Cardinals jumped in front with two runs in the first. Carpenter and Jay singled to start the inning and Matt Holliday walked to load the bases. Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly and Yadier Molina had an RBI grounder. "We all knew what was at stake," Carpenter said. "This is the last time we get to play these guys, so it was a big series. I couldnt be happier with the way it played out. Not just the fact that we won all three, but the fashion that we won all three. Really dominated, I feel like, every aspect of the game." Pittsburgh scored twice in the ninth off reliever Sam Freeman. Garrett Jones hit an RBI double and Gaby Sanchez had a sacrifice fly. Jones said Wacha had the Pirates guessing all day. "He has deception," he said. "That downward angle can be tricky. He was able to hit his spots and he has a good arm." NOTES: Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen singled in the seventh to extend his hit streak to seven games. ... Carpenters single in the first was his 99th hit at home this season, a single-season record for the current Busch Stadium. ... Pittsburgh 3B Pedro Alvarez committed his major league-leading 27th error in the seventh, allowing pinch-hitter Brock Peterson to reach. ... The Cardinals are off Monday, but many will participate in Mathenys charity golf tournament. His Catch 22 Foundation supports charities that work with children with disabilities. LOS ANGELES -- The Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings walked between the palm trees into the Dodger Stadium outfield, a beach volleyball court on their right and a Kiss performance stage to their left. A surprisingly good ice rink was straight ahead, glistening in the Hollywood night. "We felt like rock stars," Anaheim defenceman Ben Lovejoy said. "That was by far the coolest feeling Ive ever had playing hockey." After all the spectacle and sensation of the NHLs first warm-weather outdoor game, Jonas Hiller and the Ducks demonstrated whos on top of this rivalry -- with or without a roof. Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey scored first-period goals, and the Ducks beat the Kings 3-0 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. Hiller made 36 saves in his 20th career shutout as the league-leading Ducks dominated the landmark meeting of Southern Californias two hockey teams under the stars in Chavez Ravine. Andrew Cogliano added an empty-net goal with 1:29 left to close this unusual chapter in the NHLs expanded slate of outdoor games. "Its a little different playing out here, but its nothing that threw us off," Hiller said. The league threw a California carnival for the event: People in shorts and tank tops played Frisbee and practiced yoga between periods while skateboarders rolled past a ball hockey court featuring youth teams. Although the temperature was 63 degrees with significant humidity when Wayne Gretzky dropped the first puck, the ice held up fairly well in the night air. The Ducks had no problems adjusting to the new sightlines and backgrounds while shutting out the Kings. "It was maybe a little slower than some rinks, but it was smooth," Anaheims Teemu Selanne said. "Were used to not-good ice out (West) anyway. The whole package was incredible. You dont have that many chances to play in front of 55,000 people. This was pretty high on my bucket list." The Ducks earned their 21st victory in 24 games, beating Los Angeles for the second time in three days. The Kings lost their fifth straight game. The Kings hosted the first official outdoor game west of the Rocky Mountains in recognition of the NHLs near half-century in Los Angeles and their rivalry with the Ducks, who joined the league two decades ago. And though this game bore little resemblance to the snowbound outdoor contests in northern climes, the excited fans and enthused players embraced this unorthodox version of pond hockey with gusto. "I cant see any reason we shouldnt do this more," Selanne said. "The quality of hockey was greatt.dddddddddddd Im going to remember this." The teams wore specially designed jerseys for the game, with the Kings crown logo dominating their grey jerseys while the Ducks sported bright orange. After a day filled with fan events and celebrations of the cold-weather sports rich California roots, Anaheim showed whos currently in charge of this rivalry. The Ducks followed up their 2-1 victory in Thursdays rivalry meeting in Anaheim by opening a seven-point lead over Chicago atop the overall standings. Jonathan Quick made 18 saves as the Kings matched their longest skid of an otherwise solid season. After getting a goal in the opening minutes of Thursdays loss, Los Angeles hasnt scored in 116 consecutive minutes against the Ducks. "As for us not scoring goals, its been a constant theme, and its getting embarrassing," Los Angeles defenceman Drew Doughty said. "So we need to pick up our socks, and everyone needs to get hungry around the net and score goals." Hiller made 20 saves and stopped Anze Kopitars penalty shot in the first period, and the Swiss netminder turned away every good scoring chance after that in his fourth shutout and 24th victory of the season. Just 2:45 in, Perry scored the first goal in Dodger Stadium history, connecting rather easily on a rebound of Ryan Getzlafs shot off a faceoff. Less than six minutes later, Beleskey was alone at the side of Quicks net to score on a play set up by Selannes pass. Kopitar was awarded a penalty shot midway through the period when Lovejoy hooked him on a breakaway, but the Kings leading scorer couldnt do much with the puck, and Hiller stopped it. "The experience was fun and it was exciting, playing on a stage like this in front of all those people, but it was definitely not the outcome we wanted," Kopitar said. Cogliano had the best scoring chance of the second period, but lost the puck on a breakaway. Hiller was outstanding after struggling in his last start against Winnipeg, and Cogliano wrapped up the win in the closing seconds with his 17th goal. NOTES: The crowd was announced at 54,099 -- a number that likely made Gretzky smile. ... Despite significant public interest, the game didnt sell out until early Saturday. The NHL overpriced many tickets when they first went on sale, forcing price reductions and refunds in the sections that werent selling. ... Perry joined Cristiano Ronaldo as the first players to score a goal in their respective sports at Dodger Stadium. Last August, Ronaldo scored Real Madrids first goal against Everton in the stadiums first soccer game. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '