Cards Stifle Diamondbacks

Garrett Stephenson is quickly becoming the St. Louis Cardinals' ace.

Coming off his first complete game in two years, Stephenson pitched his first career shutout, a six-hitter Monday that led the Cardinals over the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0.

"If you throw a shutout, it's got to be a pretty good game, but I don't know what my best game is," Stephenson said. "Early in the season, it was just one or two pitches that were making me give up a couple runs, and right now those couple of pitches are staying in the park and being caught."

Stephenson, who struck out eight and walked none, joined Bob Gibson as the only Cardinals' starting pitchers to begin the regular season with eight straight wins.

Only two Cardinals pitchers have opened the season with more consecutive wins: reliever Frank DiPino went 9-0 in 1989 and Howie Krist, who started and relieved, finished 10-0 in 1941.

"It's classic pitching," manager Tony La Russa said. "You move the fastball around, throw the breaking ball and add a changeup three pitches."

St. Louis stopped a three-game losing streak, which matched its longest of the season. Arizona lost its second straight home game after 11 straight wins at Bank One Ballpark, a franchise record.

Todd Stottlemyre (8-3), who left because of discomfort in his right elbow, allowed one run and two hits in 5 1-3 innings, struck out four and walked three. Stottlemyre bypassed surgery after tearing his right rotator cuff in May 1999.

Team physician Dr. David Zeman he would be evaluated after an MRI on Tuesday.

"This is something I've been fighting pretty much the whole year," said Stottlemyre, who argued with manager Buck Showalter to say in. "Today, it was a little more irritating, a little more discomfort. My velocity was good, my stuff was as good today as it's probably been all year."

Fernando Vina and Edgar Renteria, the top of the order, provided the runs Stephenson needed. Renteria had an RBI single in the third inning, and Vina hit a two-run single in the seventh after Russ Springer loaded the bases by walking Ray Lankford, J.D. Drew and Stephenson.

"I felt good at the time," Vina said. "I mean, we're up 1-0, and that's the time for us to get a few more runs. When you're playing the Diamondbacks, they're such a good team, you can't be happy with just one run."

Stephenson, who lowered his ERA to 3.82 with the fourth complete game of his career, did allow a double and two singles to Tony Womack, who extended his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest in the major leagues this season. Luis Gonzalez also had two hits.

"He had some pitches up for me, which was a rare thing," Womack said. "He kept his pitches down for the most part."

Mark McGwire was 1-for-3 and has not homered in 22 plate appearances.

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