ST. LOUIS — David Eckstein's drive tipped right off the top of Craig Monroe's glove, leaving Detroit's left fielder sprawled on the soggy turf — and the St. Louis Cardinals in control of the World Series.

Helped by a slick surface, Eckstein delivered two key doubles Thursday night that gave St. Louis a firm grip on a Series that's quickly slipping away from the Tigers.

"He's the definition of a clutch player," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, praising his scrappy shortstop.

Eckstein's tiebreaking double glanced off the glove of a diving Monroe in the eighth inning, and the Cardinals capitalized on Detroit's sloppy defense for a 5-4 victory in Game 4.

"I just needed to find some holes," Eckstein said. "It's nice to actually have a little luck involved."

After Curtis Granderson slipped in center trying for an earlier ball hit by Eckstein, rekindling memories of Curt Flood in the 1968 Series between these teams, St. Louis took a 3-1 lead to move within one win of its first championship in 24 years.

Jeff Weaver can wrap it up tonight at Busch Stadium when he pitches against rookie Justin Verlander. Each lost his first start of the Series.

One word of caution, Cardinals rooters: St. Louis had a 3-1 lead in '68, too, before Detroit rallied to win behind lefty Mickey Lolich.

"We know the history and we know how good the Tigers are," La Russa said.

The decisive hit 38 years ago came when Flood, a Gold Glove center fielder, slipped on Jim Northrup's two-out, two-run triple off Cardinals ace Bob Gibson to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning of Game 7 — right across the street, where the old Busch Stadium stood.

"I knew that question would be asked," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "But right now I'm not real interested in Curt Flood."

This time, the 5-foot-7 Eckstein hit three doubles and a single as St. Louis overcame an early 3-0 deficit in a wild comeback and closed in on its 10th World Series title. The last team to squander a 3-1 Series lead, however, was the 1985 Cardinals against Kansas City.

After a rainout Wednesday night, only the second World Series washout in 20 years, showers were expected again Thursday. But the heavy stuff stayed away on a 53-degree night and much of the back-and-forth game was played in a light mist that obscured the Gateway Arch beyond center field.

The mist got heavier in the sixth, though, and the Tigers started to struggle with the elements.

With St. Louis trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Eckstein hit a drive to right-center that Granderson had in his sights before he slipped to the turf, kicking up a huge divot. The ball fell for an easy double.