Phillies Knock Down Cardinals

May 12, 1999 / 1:30 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Paul Byrd didn't allow early trouble to ruin his evening.

Manager Terry Francona resisted the urge to yank Byrd, who scattered seven hits and finished with five scoreless innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4 Tuesday night for their sixth victory in seven games.

"I was surprised he let me hit a couple times," Byrd (4-2) said after his third career complete game. "He kept pumping me up and patting me on the back, telling me, `You're going to do it.' "

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Byrd, making his first career start against the Cardinals, gave up homers on consecutive pitches to Eric Davis and Eli Marrero in the fourth and also allowed two runs in the third. Byrd allowed two hits the rest of the way, striking out five and walking two.

"He enjoys competing," Francona said. "That's a nice feeling for us in the dugout. When things do start going haywire, we know he's in pretty good control of things."

Scott Rolen homered and had three RBIs for the Phillies. Rolen had a two-run double in the first and hit his ninth homer off Kent Mercker (2-2) in a three-run fifth that put the Phillies ahead 6-4.

Rolen, who led the Phillies with 110 RBIs last season, has 19, tied for the team lead with Doug Glanville and Rico Brogna.

Kevin Jordan and Gary Bennett, who entered the game with a combined three RBIs, each drove in two runs as the Phillies ended a four-game losing streak at Busch Stadium. Ron Gant of the Phillies added two hits, two walks and an RBI.

Marrero was 3-for-4 and has five hits over the last two games after a 4-for-44 slump.

"Eli is working hard," manager Tony La Russa said. "Hard work always pays off."

Mercker allowed six runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings, hiking his ERA to 8.20, and may lose his spot in the rotation. Minor league callup Clint Sodowsky, who relieved him and allowed two runs in 2 1-3 innings, is among the possible replacements.

La Russa didn't want to talk about it. He blamed himself for allowing Mercker, who became ill just before the start of the game, to pitch so long.

"I don't think it's a fair question," La Russa said. "Maybe the best thing to do was to hold everybody out there for an hour so we can come in and talk about the rotation, and you guys would have gotten mad."

"We're here to talk about the game. You want to talk about the rotation, go back outside, wait an hour, and come back in."

Right-handed hitters are batting .402 (35-for-82) against Mercker. The Phillies loaded up with eight righties who were a combined 8-for-18.

Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew, who refused to sign with the Phillies after they made him the second overall pick of the 1997 amateur draft, pinch hit after Marrero's leadoff single in the seventh and grounded into a double play.

Drew missed the series opener because of a strained right quadriceps and won't play Wednesday against Philadelphia ace Curt Schilling, who was one of the most outspoken critics of Drew's year-long holdout.

Cardinals outfielders didn't help Mercker in the first. Ray Lankford, playing left instead of center for the time being to avoid wear and tear on his surgically repaired left knee, hesitated and allowed Rolen's catchable fly ball to drop in for a two-run, ground-rule double. Davis was playing near the warning track when Gant hit a towering pop-up to shallow right, and couldn't get to the ball in time as it dropped for an RBI single.

Notes: The last time the Cardinals had back-to-back homers was Sept. 8, 1998, the day Mark McGwire hit No. 62 to break Roger Maris' record. McGwire homered in the fourth inning that night against Steve Trachsel, and Lankford and Gant connected in the sixth off Trachsel. ... Despite the loss, the Cardinals are 22-13 when Mercker pitches. ... Brogna and Rolen are the only Phillies to start every game this season.