Cards Rally Past D'Backs

June 21, 1998 / 9:03 PM EDT / CBS/AP

The St. Louis Cardinals got another big game from the guy batting behind Mark McGwire.

Brian Jordan had three hits, including a two-run homer, in a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks that extended the Cardinals' winning streak to four games on Sunday.

Jordan, who missed most of last season with back and wrist injuries, leads the league with a .350 average and was 8-for-12 in the series.

"I've been saying over and over again that Brian is such a terrific player," manager Tony La Russa said. "If he stays out there, he's capable of great things almost every night."

Jordan said his 14th home run off Russ Springer meant it was just a matter of time before the Cardinals were celebrating. His shot in the seventh inning tied the score.

"There was no way we were going to lose that game, in my heart, after I did that," Jordan said. "The guys were pumped up, the fans were pumped up. Then we started doing the little things."

Springer blamed himself for not challenging Jordan.

"I should have thrown a fastball," Springer said. "I threw a cutter and got beat with my fourth-best pitch. I just wanted to throw it for a strike and threw it over the heart of the plate."

The Cardinals broke the tie on Clint Sodowsky's bases-loaded wild pitch in the eighth.

Gary Gaetti singled off Sodowsky (1-4) to start the eighth and pinch-hitter Ray Lankford and Royce Clayton walked to load the bases with two out. Sodowsky's first pitch to Delino DeShields got past catcher Damian Miller for his fourth wild pitch in 35 1-3 innings and pinch hitter David Howard barely slid in ahead of the throw.

"I got there as fast as I could," Sodowsky said. "But we didn't have a chance."

The Cardinals, who trailed 4-1 in the sixth, are 7-2 against the expansion Diamondbacks. They've won six of seven overall to climb a game above .500 for the first time since June 3.

"It's very big," said Cardinals starter Juan Acevedo said. "As long as we keep playing like this, hopefully we can go on a 10-12 game winning streak and change the standings."

McGwire, who leads the majors with 33 home runs, went homerless for the third straight game. He walked in the first, struck out in the third, was hit by a pitch in the fifth and singled in the seventh. He scored twice, once on Jordan's homer.

Travis Lee went 3-for-5 with a homer for Arizona.

Brady Raggio (1-1) pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings and Jeff Brantley worked the ninth for his 11th save.

Diamondbacks starter Omar Daal's start was cut short by cramps in the 90-degree heat. He allowed a run and five hits in five innings, but pulled up near third base trying to score from first on a two-out, two-run double by Andy Fox in the sxth.

In his last three starts, Daal has permitted three earned runs in 22 innings.

Acevedo threw five scoreless innings, allowing three hits. The Diamondbacks got to the St. Louis bullpen in the sixth with four runs off Curtis King.

Lee led off with his 14th homer. Karim Garcia had an RBI single and Fox greeted Raggio with a two-out drive that landed at the base of the wall in right.

Lee also doubled in the fourth and singled in the seventh. He was easily doubled off second in the seventh when he apparently thought there were two outs and was nearly to the plate on an easy pop out by Jay Bell to left.

John Mabry had a run-scoring single in the first and Tom Pagnozzi had a run-scoring single in the sixth for the Cardinals.

DeShields went 0-for-5, ending his 18-game hitting streak. His career best is 21 games in 1993 for the Montreal Expos.

Notes: On Monday, the Cardinals plan to announce guidelines for media availability to McGwire. McGwire has been mobbed on the road and the team wants to limit access to one session per series. ... Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris, on the disabled list since April 16 with a strained right shoulder, had his first rehab start on Sunday for Triple-A Memphis. In 1 1-3 innings against Oklahoma City he allowed one hit with two walks and two strikeouts. ... The teams have combined for 27 home runs in their nine games, 14 by the Cardinals. ... The last seven home runs against Arizona pitching have produced 17 runs, starting with a McGwire grand slam June 12 in Phoenix.