Cards Slam D'Backs

Shawon Dunston is the first to admit he's no power hitter.

He knows the right time to take a full cut, though.

Dunston hit a grand slam in the sixth, then was ejected two innings later after trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park homer as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 Tuesday night.

"I was just trying to make contact," he said. "We played a good team with a good pitcher. He kept us off balance, and he just made one bad pitch. But I don't look for home runs. I just hit the ball hard and try to run hard."

Rick Ankiel (5-2) didn't allow a hit until Arizona pitcher Omar Daal (2-6) reached on a bunt single with no outs in the sixth.

Mike Matheny put the Cardinals ahead with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Dunston homered in the sixth after a two-out double by Jim Edmonds, an intentional walk to Mark McGwire and an infield hit by Eric Davis.

Dunston followed with a 372-foot drive to left, his fourth homer of the season and the fourth slam of his career.

Dunston tripled over the head of center fielder Steve Finley in the eighth, but was thrown out at home by shortstop Tony Womack when he tried to stretch it to an inside-the-park homer. Dunston argued with first-base ump Greg Gibson, who slid down the line to make the call, and was ejected by Gibson.

Replays appeared to show that Dunston's foot was on home before Kelly Stinnett applied the tag.

"I was just doing my job. I didn't say anything obscene. I just told him I thought I was safe," Dunston said. "I saw it on the monitor and I still think I was safe."

Edgar Renteria had a RBI single in the ninth for St. Louis.

Ankiel allowed one run Womack's sixth-inning sacrifice fly and three hits in six innings. Matt Morris allowed two hits in three scoreless innings for his first career save.

"It was awesome to see him get out there and throw strikes," Ankiel said.

Morris, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, had not pitched in the majors in September 1998 because of a torn elbow ligament.

"It was a total team effort," manager Tony La Russa said. "There wasn't anybody who played who didn't do something good. But it definitely begins with pitching. When you give an outfit like that one run, you've got good pitching."

Daal gave up five runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.

"I was feeling great tonight, but it wasn't my best stuff," Daal said. "One mistake cost me the game."

Womack went 0-for-3, ending his hitting streak at 24 games, the longest in the major leagues this season.

"We haven't been swinging the bats well for a few days," Arizona manager Buck Showalter said. "It's tough when we get a pitcher like that."

McGwire went 0-for-2. He has not homered in 26 plate appearances, going 4-for-17 with nine walks and five strikeouts.

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