ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals will host their oldest rival in their 2012 home opener.

The Cardinals said Wednesday their first home game next season will be April 13 against the Chicago Cubs. It will be the latest home opener in St. Louis since the Cardinals opened on April 19, 1991, against Philadelphia.

Interleague games include a home stand June 8-17 against Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City.

In an oddity, division rival Houston plays in St. Louis only twice next season, and the first series with the Astros at Busch Stadium isn’t until Aug. 21-23. The Reds only play two series in St. Louis as well — during the opening home stand and for the final three games of the season, Oct. 1-3.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Known for his game-managing and defensive skills, Yadier
Molina(notes) made another statement with his bat.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ slow-footed catcher was a triple shy of the cycle
for the second time in three games and homered for the third straight game,
helping Kyle McClellan(notes) end an eight-game victory drought in the St. Louis
Cardinals’ 10-5 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night.

Molina has eight three-hit games, tied for the major league lead at his
position. After getting a rare day off, he doubled in the second, homered in the
fourth and hit an RBI single in the fifth. He didn’t play Sunday and has three
days off this month.

“Sometimes it helps,” Molina said. “This heat can wear you out, and
sometimes you take a day off, you feel good the next day.”

Trailing 8-1, Carlos Lee(notes) made it interesting with his 16th career grand slam
in the eighth off P.J. Walters(notes), cutting the gap to three runs before St. Louis
answered with two runs. He’s tied for ninth on the career list with Babe Ruth,
Hank Aaron and Dave Kingman and second on the active list, trailing only Alex
Rodriguez’(notes) 21.

Lee is 2-for-2 against Walters, both grand slams, also connecting on July
21, 2009 in Houston.

“I didn’t know that. For real?” Lee said. “That’s crazy, but that’s the
game.”

The Astros’ Hunter Pence(notes) suffered his second fielding gaffe in as many
games, handing Nick Punto(notes) a gift RBI triple in the second after misjudging a
routine fly, appearing to lose the ball in lights and then stumbling. It wasn’t
clear whether new turf, replaced after a U2 concert eight days earlier, played a
role.

“We’ll deal with it,” manager Brad Mills(notes) said. “We’re not thrilled with
it. You want the sure footing and so forth but it wasn’t there. And it cost us a
little bit.”

Center fielder Michael Bourn(notes) also wasn’t happy, saying he had some slips.

“I didn’t have a clue,” Bourn said. “It’s hard to keep your feet under
you.”

La Russa said there were no complaints from his players. Center fielder
Colby Rasmus(notes) made one of the top plays, going airborne to rob Jose Altuve(notes) of
extra bases to end the eighth.

“It was definitely playable,” La Russa said. “Too often it happens in the
second half of the season, whether you have a concert or not, it’s hot and it’s
hard.”

Rasmus, the Cardinals’ player mentioned most in rumors heading into the
trade deadline, homered for the second straight day with three RBIs.

Molina has three career triples in 897 career at-bats and missed his only
shot for the cycle when he took a called third strike from Mark Melancon(notes) in the
eighth. He’s 6-for-12 with two homers and five RBIs his last three games and his
eighth homer, matching his career single-season best from 2005, came in the
fourth off J.A. Happ(notes) (4-12).

Four of Molina’s homers have come this month.

McClellan (7-6) was the first National League pitcher to get to six
victories after working eight strong innings in a 4-2 victory over the Astros at
home on May 19 and finally made it to No. 7 after working seven strong innings.
The right-hander had been 0-4 with a 5.48 ERA the previous seven starts, all St.
Louis losses.

The first-year starter allowed one run on six hits and walked none and has
won all three of his outings against the Astros.

“You keep your mindset the same if you’re winning every time out or losing
every time out,” McClellan said. “I don’t feel like I went out and pitched
terrible for two months.”

Happ surrendered five or more runs for the sixth straight start, and has
given up five or more runs in half of his eight career starts against the
Cardinals. He’s lost all four starts against St. Louis this year and is 1-7 with
a 8.02 ERA on the road this season.

“He was throwing a lot more strikes and that’s definitely moving in the
right direction,” Mills said.

Pence leads the National League with nine assists and was the Astros’ lone
All-Star, but has struggled lately.

On Sunday, Pence said he was blinded by the sun on Marlon Byrd’s(notes) leadoff
triple, which should have been a routine play, in the 10th inning of the Cubs’
5-4 victory. He came in on Punto’s fly ball, then appeared blinded by lights on
a hit that put St. Louis up 2-1.

In the eighth, Pence apparently believed he had caught Ryan Theriot’s(notes) fly
ball for the third out, running several steps before finally throwing late to
third as Punto took the extra base.

Punto scored on what appeared to be a busted squeeze play, and was halfway
down the line when McClellan swung away and grounded out to second for an RBI
that made it 3-1.

“I thought it was a hit and run, right?” McClellan joked. La Russa said
the RBI “just reduces the fine a little bit.”

The Astros have lost four in a row and are a major-league worst 33-69, going
10-35 since June 2. A bright spot was rookie Jose Altuve, who had three hits and
has hit safely in all five career starts.

The 21-year-old Altuve began the year at Class A Lancaster and at the time
of his callup led all minor leaguers with a .389 average.

Notes: Walters had not allowed a hit in 3 2/3 innings before Monday, when he
gave up three hits and four runs in one-third of an inning. … Cardinals 3B
David Freese(notes), who has complained of leg tightness in recent games, was removed
for a pinch runner after walking in the fifth. … Bourn singled in the eighth
and is 19-for-47 during a 10-game hitting streak. He entered with 64 hits since
June 1, most in the majors over that span. … Lee hit his first grand slam
since June 9, 2010 at Colorado and it was the Astros’ first since Jason Michaels(notes)
connected against the Brewers Aug. 1, 2010. … Pence, Lee and Brett Wallace(notes) are
a combined 25-for-41 (.609) against Jake Westbrook(notes), the Cardinals’ starter
Tuesday.

HOUSTON – The Houston Astros failed to convert their scoring chances early in the game. The St. Louis Cardinals took full advantage of their opportunities.

Lance Berkman broke a tie with an RBI single and pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso had a two-run double in St. Louis’ five-run sixth in the Cardinals’ 9-2 victory Thursday night.

Berkman, the former Astro who hit a solo homer to break up Bud Norris’ no-hit bid in the seventh inning in the Cardinals’ 4-1 loss Wednesday night, snapped a 1-1 tie with a single off the scoreboard in left after Jon Jay singled and Albert Pujols drew a walk off J.A. Happ (3-8).

Mark Hamilton’s fielder’s choice grounder to second baseman Jeff Keppinger scored Pujols, and Wilton Lopez’s bases-loaded walk brought home Hamilton. Then, Descalso delivered the two-run double to cap the inning.

“It’s frustrating,” Happ said. “Six or seven games in a row I start the game and I feel like I’m going to go seven or eight innings. Whatever my terrible record, whatever my terrible ERA is, it doesn’t make sense. It’s not the pitcher I am. I’m going to find a way to figure it out. I felt good and just left a few balls up in the sixth inning and the rest is history.”

Berkman added his 15th homer in the ninth.

“I’ve got a different uniform on, but it’s still a great place to hit,” Berkman said. “I’m just trying not to make an out. I’ll enjoy it and try to get ready for the game tomorrow.”

In six games at Minute Maid this season, Berkman is hitting .480 with five home runs and 12 RBIs.

The Astros did little to boost their chances when the game was still winnable.

They were punchless with runners in scoring position, blowing a bases-loaded chance to take the lead in the third inning and finishing the game 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

“The first five innings, Happ threw the ball extremely well and worked out of some things,” Astros manager Brad Mills said. “Offensively, we had some opportunities early in the game. We had our opportunities.”

Astros outfielder Hunter Pence extended his career best and major league-leading hitting streak to 20 games with a single in the first inning. He finished 2 for 4, but his 10th multihit game during the streak wasn’t enough to prevent his team from losing for the fifth time in six games.

Pence’s 20-game streak is the longest of his career and the Astros’ longest since Miguel Tejada hit in 21 straight games in 2009. It was little consolation.

“It’s part of the game,” Pence said. “Sometimes you get them, sometimes they get you out.”

Ryan Theriot, whose hitting streak was snapped at 20 on Wednesday night, had a double and his first homer for St. Louis. He’s been watching Berkman.

“Lance has had a great year and I don’t think he’s just picking on the Astros, he’s picking on everybody,” Theriot said. “He’s swung the bat well and been consistent particularly well here but he’s played a lot of games here and he’s comfortable here.”

Lance Lynn (1-1) benefited from the Cardinals’ big inning. He pitched five innings, allowed six hits and one run. He walked three and struck out three.

“The first three innings felt like the longest innings of my life,” Lynn said. “After that I started getting into a rhythm and throwing more strikes and throwing good pitches. I stopped giving them pitches to hit.”

NOTES: St. Louis’ Tony La Russa will manage his 5,000th game Friday night at Milwaukee. He will join Connie Mack (7,755) as the only manager or coach in American professional sports history to reach 5,000 games. … Pujols has hit for extra bases in six straight games. He had his 435th double in the seventh inning to break a tie for second with Hall of Famer Lou Brock on the Cardinals’ career list.

Read More: Lance Berkman (RF – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Mark Melancon (P – HOU), Jaime Garcia (P – STL), Bud Norris (P – HOU), Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals

Former Houston Astros star Lance Berkman was the only member of the St. Louis Cardinals who could get around famous redbird-killer Bud Norris Wednesday night, hitting a home run in the seventh inning to break up Norris’s no-hitter, but it wasn’t enough, as the current Astros took out the first-place Cardinals 4-1. Jaime Garcia took the loss, his second of the year, while Mark Melancon, traded for Berkman, saved his sixth game for the Astros, who improved to 24-38. Albert Pujols doubled to continue his hot hitting after failing to solve Norris. 

Jason Michaels went 2-4 with an RBI for the Astros. Ryan Theriot’s hitting streak was halted at 20 games, although he reached base twice with walks and finished 0-2. Jaime Garcia walked just two in five innings but struggled with his pitch count throughout and allowed seven hits and three earned runs. 

On Thursday the Cardinals move on the second-place Milwaukee Brewers. Rookie Lance Lynn will take on former Cardinals prospect Chris Narveson in game one. 

Bud Norris took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and teamed with Mark Melancon hold the St. Louis Cardinals to two hits in the Houston Astros’ 4-1 win Wednesday night.

Norris (4-4) pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only former Astro Lance Berkman’s solo homer with two outs. The blast on the fifth pitch of the at bat sailed just over the glove of Hunter Pence and into the stands in right field. Norris watched the play before pounding his hand in his glove and wiping sweat from his cheek.

The 26-year-old in his second full season in the majors relied on fastballs thrown between 90-95 mph mixed with sliders and changeups to keep the Cardinals off balance.

Melancon yielded a two-out double to Albert Pujols in the ninth before retiring Berkman for his sixth save.

Norris, who entered the game averaging more than a strikeout an inning in his 50 previous major league appearances, struck out two and walked five in a game that tied the longest outing of his career.

Pence had an RBI triple to extend his career-best hitting streak to 19 games and help snap a four-game skid for the Astros.

Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia (6-2) allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings.

Norris walked the leadoff batter in the first, fourth and fifth innings, but faced the minimum through five thanks to three double plays by Houston’s defense.

He walked Matt Carpenter with one out in the sixth, but got his first strikeout of the game to retire pinch hitter Daniel Descalso before sitting down Ryan Theriot.

Clint Barmes made a diving catch on a ball hit by Jon Jay for the first out of the seventh inning. Norris pumped his fist excitedly after Barmes made the belly-flopping grab. Pujols followed with a long fly out to center field before the homer by Berkman, who played 12 seasons for the Astros before a trade last year.

Berkman, who also homered on Tuesday night, was booed as he rounded the bases on his 14th home run that made it 3-1.

Norris walked Carpenter with two outs in the eighth inning before he struck out pinch hitter Mark Hamilton.

The speedy Jason Bourgeois, who was making his first start since coming off the disabled list on this weekend, singled in the fifth inning before stealing second base and reaching third on a lineout by Jeff Keppinger. He made it 3-0 by scoring on a single by Jason Michaels.

Keppinger singled with one out in the third inning before scoring on Pence’s triple that landed near the back of Tal’s Hill in center field. Pence came home on a groundout by Carlos Lee to put Houston up 2-0.

The Astros got no-out doubles in the first and second innings, but were unable to string together enough hits to score in those innings.

J.R. Towles doubled before scoring on a single by Michael Bourn to push the lead to 4-1 in the eighth inning.

NOTES: There are now two Rasmus brothers in the Cardinals’ organization after St. Louis drafted Colby Rasmus’s brother Casey in the 36th round Wednesday. Casey is a catcher from Liberty University. “That’s always been what we grew up on was trying making it to the big leagues or play pro ball and he’s going to get that taste now,” Colby said. “I’m super excited for him.” … Former Houston INF Bill Hall has cleared waivers and is a free agent. He was placed on waivers by the Astros for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release on Friday. … St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said the soonest he expects to use closer Fernando Salas will be Friday after he threw 44 pitches in a two-inning save on Tuesday. … Cardinals OF Allen Craig is listed as day to day after injuring his right knee crashing into a fence while chasing a foul ball on Tuesday night. … Houston reliever Brandon Lyon said he felt good and didn’t have any pain in his arm on Wednesday after throwing 10 pitches in his second rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City a night before. Lyon is on the 15-day DL with right biceps tendinitis and a partial right rotator cuff tear.