ST. LOUIS - After getting swept in the World Series last fall, the St. Louis Cardinals would like a happy ending. They're on the right track.

The biggest game of Reggie Sanders' career and Chris Carpenter's return to dominance helped St. Louis take a decisive first step in a first-round matchup between the NL's best and worst playoff teams.

Sanders set an NL division series record with six RBI and Carpenter pitched six scoreless innings as the Cardinals built a big lead and then held off the San Diego Padres 8-5 on Tuesday in Game 1.

"It's a great day," Sanders said. "But it's not over."

For most of the game, San Diego appeared as overmatched as its 82-80 record suggests. And now, with ace pitcher Jake Peavy out for the postseason with a broken rib, the Padres really face an uphill climb against the 100-win Cardinals.

Peavy, who led the NL in strikeouts, believes he was injured during the Padres' celebration of the NL West championship last Wednesday. Jumping up and down in a close knot of teammates, he felt a sharp twinge to his rib cage.

"The next day I just thought I had some bruised ribs, caught an elbow or something," Peavy said. "I never would have imagined it would have been this."

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Joe Torre insisted on a playoff-tested pitcher. With Randy Johnson unavailable to go in Game 1, that left New York's manager with only one option: Mike Mussina and his tender elbow.The right-hander never appeared to be hurting, or just hid it well. It helped to watch rookie Robinson Cano's clutch hit that gave the Yankees an early lead.Mussina pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning, Cano lined a three-run double in the first and New York beat Bartolo Colon again, defeating the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 in Game 1 of their AL division series Tuesday night."We just wanted Moose because of his experience," said Torre, who needed Johnson to pitch in Saturday's AL East clincher at Boston. "If Randy was available, obviously he probably would have gone there. We just felt that experience is so important, especially when you're opening on the road."Mussina struck out four and didn't walk a batter, giving up five hits in 5innings, then Torre went to his bullpen to finish things off.Mariano Rivera saved it for the Yankees, who looked completely fresh - even after a cross-country trek on the heels of a seven-game road trip to end the regular season. They traveled West late Sunday, one day after clinching their eighth consecutive division title with a victory over the rival Red Sox.Darin Erstad's ninth-inning RBI single cut it to 4-2, just the 10th earned run allowed by Rivera in 71 career postseason appearances. But the right-hander got pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman on a popup to extend his major league record to 33 postseason saves in 37 opportunities, earning his first postseason save since blowing chances in Games 4 and 5 against Boston in the 2004 AL championship series.