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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The noise Josh Hamiltons bat made when it connected with Edward Mujicas changeup was music to his ears, and those of his Los Angeles Angels teammates. Hamilton hit a tying two-run homer in Los Angeles three-run ninth inning, and the Angels rallied for a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. "It was just a good feeling to hear that sound come off your bat," Hamilton said. "... It couldnt happen on a better day for the crowd on the Fourth of July. They got a little more fireworks and a little more bang for their buck than they thought they were going to get. It was cool. "Anytime you can contribute like that, especially in the late innings and have a comeback like that, its a pretty special feeling." Mark Trumbo belted his 19th homer and Mike Trout had two RBIs for Los Angeles, which took two of three in the series. Scott Downs (2-2) got three outs for the victory. "Whether we won that game or not, this team never gives up," Albert Pujols said. "I mean, weve got 12 or 13 position players that really compete every day. Our bullpen threw the ball well to keep us in the game." St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright, the NL pitcher of the month for June, took a 5-3 lead into the ninth before giving up a leadoff single by Pujols, who was 1 for 11 in his first series against his former team. Manager Mike Matheny then brought in Mujica, who had converted 21 of 21 save opportunities this season. But Hamilton drove the right-handers second pitch into the centre field trees for his 11th homer, extending his hitting streak to nine games and raising his average to .226. "Players Ive talked to about him said hes not afraid to throw his split five or six times in a row because thats his go-to pitch. So hes going to stick to what has been working for him," Hamilton said. "I didnt try to do too much with it. I didnt try to yank it or anything like that -- just hit it back up the middle." Howie Kendrick and Trumbo followed with singles, and Mujica (0-1) retired his next two batters before Erick Aybar drove in the winning run with an opposite-field single to left. Aybar had three hits and scored a run for Los Angeles. Mujica acknowledged that he shook off batterymate Yadier Molina on the ill-fated pitches to Hamilton and Aybar. "I made two big mistakes. I didnt follow Yadier on a couple of pitches, and that was the ball game," Mujica said. "He called for a fastball on Hamilton and I threw the changeup. On Aybar, he called for a fastball again and I decided to throw my changeup. I threw a couple good changeups and got two popups so I figured Id go with my best pitch." Wainwright, the only Cardinals pitcher averaging at least seven innings per start, defended Mathenys decision to take him out after 104 pitches. His season high is 120, on May 11 in a two-hit shutout against Colorado. "Weve always liked that situation. Hes the right guy in that situation," Wainwright said of Mujica. "Hes been great all year. Thats what happens when you let a leadoff guy on in the last inning. Thats on me, right there. I have to go out and get that guy out." Angels starter Joe Blanton gave up five runs, four earned, and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings. The right-hander, who signed a $15 million, two-year contract with Los Angeles over the winter, is 0-4 with a 5.17 ERA in nine starts this season at Anaheim Stadium. Blanton averaged 13 pitches through the first three innings while retiring nine of his first 10 batters. But just three batters into the fourth, the Cardinals pulled ahead 3-2 on a single by Carlos Beltran, a walk to Matt Holliday and Allen Craigs homer. Craig leads the majors with a .469 average with runners in scoring position. It was the seventh straight start in which Blanton gave up a home run. The Angels tied it in the bottom of the fourth on Trumbos drive to centre. But the Cardinals got the run back in the fifth on Matt Carpenters sacrifice fly, and then made it 5-3 in the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Daniel Descalso that chased Blanton, who has given up a major league-worst 135 hits. The Angels opened the scoring in the third on a two-out, two-run single by Trout, after Wainwright gave up singles to Alberto Callaspo and Aybar, and J.B. Shuck advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. NOTES: Hamilton, the only player in the Angels starting lineup who had faced Wainwright previously, was 0 for 2 against him after coming in 3 for 7. ... St. Louis Jon Jay played his 227th consecutive game in centre field without an error, breaking Curt Floods franchise record for any outfield position. ... Holliday was back in the Cardinals lineup as the designated hitter, going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and a walk after missing two games because of a pinched nerve in his neck. ... Trout leads the Angels with 55 RBIs, just two fewer than he had through his first 84 games last season, when he finished with 83 and was named AL rookie of the year after spending the first month of the season at Triple-A. ... RHP Lance Lynns next start for the Cardinals will be Sunday at home against the Miami Marlins. He has two chances left to become the sixth pitcher in Cardinals history to post at least 11 wins before the All-Star break in consecutive seasons, and the first since Joaquin Andujar (1984-85). The others were Dizzy Dean, Bob Gibson, Mort Cooper and Gerry Staley.Basketball Shoes Australia Sale . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Basketball Shoes Online Store Australia . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. http://www.cheapbasketballshoesaustralia.com/ . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Cheap Basketball Shoes Australia .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Wholesale Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters.HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Jimmie Johnson had the commemorative helmet and a photographer chronicling his every move. He had even planned to run a symbolic seven miles the night before his shot at a seventh championship.Hes adamant he didnt know something special was coming.Johnson was the worst of the championship contenders in a winner-take-all season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He needed only to beat three other drivers to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as drivers with seven titles, but he was clearly not in the same league as the other finalists Sunday night.Johnson didnt panic, keeping the same calmness hes had for 10 weeks of this historic march. So relaxed before this event, he canceled his short run and instead spent the night eating pasta.And as he chased Carl Edwards, reigning champion Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, it sure seemed like there was not shot at No. 7.Im sure the world felt like anybody but Jimmie Johnson was going to win the championship with 20 to go, and then it changed so quick, Johnson said.Johnson was practically gifted his seventh title when Edwards aggressive attempt to win the championship ended in a wreck. Johnson got the restart of his life in overtime, took the lead on the very last lap of the race, won for the first time in his career at Homestead and grabbed the final Sprint Cup trophy.Most of the race was spent talking about backflips, repeats or a Penske sweep because Johnson just wasnt as good as Edwards, Busch or Logano.Then all that conversation took a back seat to a record-setting -- albeit improbable -- championship run. The win was the 15th for Hendrick Motorsports and seventh for crew chief Chad Knaus, who now only trails Dale Inmans record eight.When I was coming to the checkered flag, I had to really look closely at it going by to make sure it was, `Like is this really happening? Johnson said.Johnsons No. 48 Chevrolet was pulled off pit road by NASCAR shortly before the race and forced to make a last-minute pass through inspection, setting Johnson up for a mind-boggling race in which he never seemed to be a legitimate contender. He had to start last because of the inspection issue and seemingly had no shot until Edwards coughed up the title.Petty welcomed Johnson to the VIP section of NASCARs most exclusive club.They set a goal to get where they are and circumstances and fate made it a reality, Petty said. Jimmie is a great champion and this is really good for our sport.He also was feted by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who represented his late father in victory lane.I told Jimmie I wish Dad was here to shake his hand, Earnhardt said. Dad would think hes such a bad-ass. Hes such a great race car driver. How he won this thing tonight, I dont think a lot of people know, he can will himself to get (his all) out of a car when it matters. Theres a lot of circumstance that played into it, but he put himself in that position.Edwards was in position to win until a caution with 10 laps remaining sset up a wild sequence that ruined his title hopes.dddddddddddd Edwards tried to block Logano on the restart, wound up wrecked, and it was Johnson who drove through the carnage to take the championship lead.Johnson withstood two more restarts and dedicated the final two attempts at the win to the late Ricky Hendrick, who was one of 10 friends and family members killed in a 2004 plane crash.My heart was full because I was thinking of some loved ones like Ricky Hendrick and his influence, he said. Something happened from above.Johnson drove the entire 10-race Chase with a tribute helmet to Earnhardt and Petty, the Hall of Fame drivers hes been chasing since he won his sixth title in 2013. Immediately after the race, he gifted the helmet to three-time champion Tony Stewart, who retired at the end of the race.Drivers have been giving Stewart special helmets the last month, but Johnson had earmarked this one for the driver forever known as Smoke.I promised him Id give him a helmet, I wanted to wait and see if I could give him this one, Johnson said. He doesnt really want it. He said if I want it back, I can have it back, but I promised Id give him a helmet.The title was there for the taking for Edwards until the fateful sequence that changed history.I was racing for my life up to that point, Edwards said. I just pushed the issue as hard as I could because I figured that was the race there. I had to push it, I couldnt go to bed tonight and think that I gave him that lane.The benefactor of Edwards error was Johnson, who darted through the wreck ahead of Busch and Logano. Knaus pumped his fists in joy, all too aware that they were suddenly in the game.Thats what makes a seven-time champion -- someone that fights and battles and digs and never gives up, said four-time champion Jeff Gordon, the teammate who discovered Johnson for Hendrick Motorsports. They keep themselves in position and allowed some of those unfortunate instances to work in their favor. You can say luck, whatever you want to say, but those guys battled. They battled hard.Logano wasnt giving up his effort, though, and headed to pit road to take on new tires for a final restart.This guy on a restart with five laps to go, Ill take him every day of the week, crew chief Todd Gordon said.Logano restarted eighth but was a bull as he pushed his way through traffic and into third place, behind Johnson, after a caution forced another restart.This time, Johnson got the start of his life and jumped into the lead. He didnt look back, only forward at his slice of NASCAR history.They were nowhere all day, and just kind of ran around, I dont know, probably, Id guess sixth, Busch said. Never really showed their hand at all and didnt really show any speed, never really led in the laps until the last one, and thats the only one that really matters.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org ' ' '