Cards win at home

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Back at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals won their home opener in a walk. Two of them.

Larry Walker tied the game with a four-pitch walk from Aaron Fultz in the eighth inning, and Albert Pujols followed with another walk that forced in the go-ahead run Friday in the Cardinals' 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The defending NL champions, starting their final season at Busch Stadium, trailed 5-1 after five innings. But Philadelphia failed to hold a lead for the third straight game and dropped to 1-3.

Mark Mulder had a mediocre Cardinals' debut, allowing five runs -- four earned -- and nine hits in six innings. He finished poorly for Oakland last season, going 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA in his last seven starts, and wasn't any better Friday, walking four and striking out just three.

New St. Louis shortstop David Eckstein reached base in all five plate appearances, making it eight in a row over a two-game span on three singles, a double, three walks and a hit by pitch.

New Cardinals second baseman Mark Grudzielanek booted Bobby Abreu's double-play grounder, which could have helped Mulder escape what turned into a two-run first.

Philadelphia took a four-run lead into the sixth before Reggie Sanders hit an RBI double off Cory Lidle that went off the center-field wall, the ball popping out of Jason Michaels' glove as he made contact.

Pujols hit into a run-scoring double play off Terry Adams in the seventh, and the Cardinals went ahead with a three-run eighth.

Grudzielanek, Sanders and pinch-hitter Yadier Molina loaded the bases with consecutive singles off Ryan Madson (0-1). Roger Cedeno, another pinch hitter, had a sacrifice fly that pulled St. Louis to 5-4.

Eckstein fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before walking to reload the bases, and Fultz relieved, only to throw four straight balls to Walker. Fultz went to a 3-0 count of Pujols, who then swung and missed before taking ball four -- the sixth walk of the game by Philadelphia pitchers.

Jason Isringhausen made the ninth inning an adventure, walking Placido Polanco leading off, giving up a one-out single to Pat Burrell and throwing a wild pitch that put runners on second and third.

After intentionally walking Jim Thome to load the bases, he retired David Bell on a foulout on the next pitch, then struck out Kenny Lofton for his second save.

The highlight of the pregame ceremonies was the annual motorcade that dropped off players, coaches and manager Tony La Russa one by one at home plate. The Cardinals plan to move next season into the new Busch Stadium, which is under construction adjacent to the current 40-year ballpark.

David Bell got his first two RBIs of the season for the Phillies, and Lidle allowed one earned run, five hits and three walks in 5 1-3 innings.

After Grudzielanek's misplay in the first, Burrell's sacrifice fly and Bell's RBI single gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

Scott Rolen hit a run-scoring groundout in the bottom half, but Bell and Michaels hit RBI singles in the third and Michaels hit another run-scoring single in the fifth, with Molina missing a sweeping tag attempt on Abreu and losing his grip on the ball.