May 11, 1964 | BARRY BOWE

The Cardinals were coming to town to begin a four-game set on May 11, 1964. Having lost their last two games against the Pirates, the Cards were in fourth place, three games behind the Giants and two games behind the second-place Phillies.

The Phillies were shut out 2-0 the day before by Joe Nuxhall and the Cincinnati Reds, but they’d won four of their last five games.

It was Ray Culp (1-2) versus lefty Ray Sadecki (0-3).

Sadecki was coming off a 1-0 heartbreaking loss to the Pirates last time out ─ the one run being unearned.

Culp was coming off two bad outings in which he gave up eight earned runs and 12 hits in just five innings total.

With a lefty on the mound, Gene Mauch loaded his lineup with right-handed hitters.

• Utility-man Cookie Rojas was making his first start of the season, leading off and playing centerfield.

• Tony Taylor moved from his customary leadoff spot to fifth in the order.

• Tony Gonzalez, the team’s leading run-producer, was taking the day off.

Johnny Callison was the lone left-handed bat in the lineup

Ray Culp pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first.

Cookie Rojas led off the bottom of the first by walking, and moved to second when Johnny Callison sacrificed. Richie Allen doubled Rojas across the plate to put the Phillies in the lead 1-0.

In the bottom of the second, Danny Cater beat out an infield single to start the inning – raising his rookie average to .414. After Ray Sadecki walked Gus Triandos to put runners on first and second, Sadecki balked the runners up to second and third. And Cater scored when Bobby Wine grounded out to short to put the Phillies on top 2-0.

Ray Culp shut out the Cards on one hit through the first six innings, but then ran into two-out trouble in the seventh.

Johnny Lewis singled to center and moved up to second on a passed ball by Gus Triandos. Chris James got an infield single, but Lewis couldn’t advance. So that put runners on first and second with two outs with Julian Javier stepping to the plate.

Javier was hitting just five points above the Mendoza line – .203 with one home run and eight RBIs. But the numbers didn’t matter in this case. Javier smashed a three-run home run into the leftfield bleachers to put the Cards on top 3-2.

Over the final three innings, Sadecki (1-3) gave up two hits, but no runs, to pick up the complete-game victory. Ray Culp (1-3) took the loss.

The San Francisco Giants moved to Houston to begin a four-game series with the Colt 45s. Former Phillie Turk Farrell (4-1) picked up the 4-1 victory for the Colts 45s over the Giants with a complete-game 10-hitter.

The Giants loss meant the Phillies lost no ground. The Phillies still trailed the Giants by one game while maintaining a one-game lead over the Cardinals and Braves, who were tied for third-place.