Phoenix ? Curt Schilling couldn’t beat St. Louis, either, and the Cardinals need just one victory to sweep the world champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

Two days after the Cardinals battered Randy Johnson, Chuck Finley outpitched Schilling in a 2-1 St. Louis victory Thursday.

Miguel Cairo’s ninth-inning single off reliever Mike Koplove drove in Edgar Renteria with the go-ahead run for the Cardinals, who swept the first two games of the best-of-five series.

“A split would have been good for us,” Finley said. “Obviously coming out of here 2-0 looks very, very good. This is what we dreamed of doing.”

The victory came at a cost. Third baseman Scott Rolen left after he was clipped in the left side by pinch-runner Alex Cintron while scooping up a grounder in the seventh inning. X-rays were negative, but the preliminary diagnosis was a sprained shoulder. A closer exam was scheduled for today in St. Louis.

“I do think that his continuing to play for sure in this series is very questionable,” manager Tony La Russa said. “We’ll have our fingers crossed through tomorrow, but I think there’s a chance he might have played his last game (this year).”

The Diamondbacks, who had trailed 1-0 since the third inning on J.D. Drew’s two-out homer off Schilling, tied it with an unearned run in the eighth.

Quinton McCracken doubled over the outstretched glove of the right fielder Drew to score Greg Colbrunn, who had reached on a fielding error by Albert Pujols Rolen’s replacement at third.

St. Louis' Edgar Renteria celebrates scoring the game- winning run against Arizona on Thursday in Phoenix.

St. Louis can complete the sweep with a victory at Busch Stadium on Saturday. Miguel Batista pitches for the Diamondbacks against Andy Benes.

Finley, two months shy of his 40th birthday, blanked Arizona on four hits in 61â3 innings before leaving because of a muscle cramp.

The Cardinals had pelted Johnson for 10 hits in a 12-2 rout Tuesday night. Schilling, who had struggled in his last seven starts, proved a much tougher challenge. He scattered seven hits, struck out seven and walked one.

“Sometimes you do your job and still get beat,” Schilling said.

It was a good outing, except for a two-out pitch to Drew, who hit it into the left-field seats. Even that pitch was a good one.

“That was not your typical hanging home-run pitch,” Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly said. “It was a fastball down around the knees.”

Renteria led off the ninth with a single, then was sacrificed to second. Cairo, who had entered during a double-switch an inning earlier, singled up the middle to put St. Louis ahead.

“I’m blessed right now,” Cairo said. “I’m in the best organization in baseball. They have been treating me so well. To get that base hit makes it much better. What a beautiful day today for me.”