St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia picked up his 11th win of the season Sunday, shutting out the Wild Card rival San Francisco Giants on three hits and just 89 pitches. Every Cardinal starter, including Garcia, had a hit; fellow rookie Allen Craig, getting a rare start in right field, led the scoring with three RBI and his second home run of the season.
Barry Zito falls to 8-8 with the loss. Zito allowed seven hits and walked two in just under four innings of work, but the turning point was an eight-pitch at-bat from shortstop Brendan Ryan, who doubled and scored the first run after fouling off five pitches. Albert Pujols, still in the Triple Crown hunt, went 1-3 with an RBI and two walks.
Garcia's 11 wins are tops among senior circuit rookies, and his 2.42 ERA ranks sixth in the National League.