St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday proved his resiliency earlier this season by coming back from appendicitis quicker than expected, and he could need those healing powers again. Holliday is suffering from left quad pain that the team thought would resolve itself with a little rest. After scratching the slugger from a start on Tuesday night, though, manager Tony La Russa was a little pessimistic about Holliday’s ability to heal without a stint on the disabled list. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Able to start only one of the last eight games, the Cardinals left fielder today will undergo an MRI to better evaluate a nagging condition the club has classified as a left quadriceps strain.

…

“It’s not even a tough call. If you had a crystal ball and told me he wouldn’t play for a couple weeks then would be all right, I’d take it in a second,” La Russa said. “Whatever it takes to get well; we’ve got a lot of season left.”

That reads like a quote from a manager resigned to the lesser of two evils. If there’s any consolation for the Cardinals, though, it’s that they have an extra two outfielders with an OPS over .900, Jon Jay and Allen Craig, who could step in if needed. There are other teams that could use, Don La Russa, all of those extra outfielders that you carry around in your pocket like so many nickels and dimes.

Read More: Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Skip Schumaker (2B – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Mitchell Boggs (P – STL), St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to suffer from nagging injuries—Matt Holliday is expected to miss a few games, Skip Schumaker returned only to see Mitchell Boggs sent down to AAA—and Albert Pujols’s general ineffectiveness, but you wouldn’t know it from their strong performance in the NL Central standings, where they’ve gone to 10 games over .500 and taken a three-and-a-half game lead over the Cincinnati Reds. They’re just the third team to get that far over .500 across the MLB standings—the Cleveland Indians and the Philadelphia Phillies are already at the milestone. 

The Reds seemed to have righted the ship after their slow end to April, winning 11 out of 13 and sweeping the Cardinals to regain control over the central division, but after that they proceeded to lose six consecutive games, first to the Pittsburgh Pirates and then to those other two way-over-.500 clubs. The Brewers also remain well within range of the Cardinals, thanks to strong performances from Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and—Jonathan Lucroy. 

For a full set of NL Central standings and daily dispatches on the Cardinals and the rest of the NL Central, visit Viva El Birdos. 

ST. LOUIS – When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Matt Holliday to a seven-year contract worth $120 million before the start of the 2010 season, the transaction raised inevitable questions.

Holliday landed the richest contract in Cardinals history. Fans and pundits wondered if the Cardinals overpaid, with GM John Mozeliak capitulating to the demands of uber agent Scott Boras.

And concerns were expressed over how the Holliday contract would affect the Cardinals’ payroll flexibility when it came time to do a deal with Albert Pujols. By paying $17 million a year to Holliday, how could the Cardinals possibly afford to re-sign Pujols?

Mozeliak insisted it could be done, but his vow was met with considerable skepticism. Did the Cardinals err in deciding to keep Holliday at the cost of losing Pujols?

Well, nearly two months into the second year of the Holliday contract, the deal is looking more and more attractive. And that is especially true given some of the enormous contracts handed out to other free-agent outfielders over the last few seasons.

The Washington Nationals gave Jayson Werth a seven-year, $126 million contract this past offseason. He’s batting .247 with a combined onbase-slugging percentage of .791. The Boston Red Sox [team stats] gave Carl Crawford seven years and $142 million. He’s batting .212 with a .247 OBP. Obviously, Crawford and Werth have plenty of time to deliver. It’s early.

If we go back as far as 2007, you’ll see a few regrettable outfielder contracts. Jason Bay, in the same free-agent class as Holliday, got $16 million a year from the New York Mets in a four-year deal. Since signing the deal, the injury-prone Bay has eight homers and 54 RBIs in 436 at-bats.

In 2008, the Toronto Blue Jays gave Vernon Wells seven years and $126 million. The were able to dump that awful contract on the Angels last winter. And Wells_who will make $20 million annually through 2017 – is batting .183 with a .527 OPS this season.

And I can’t imagine that the Chicago Cubs are thrilled to know they’re on the hook to pay Alfonso Soriano $18 million a year through 2014. Soriano does have 11 homers this season, but he’s batting .265 with a .297 OBP. And he plays terrible defense in left field.

By comparison, Holliday’s $17 million salary looks like a wise investment. He’s 31. And after this season, there will be only five (possibly six) years left on the contract, so the Cardinals have limited the potential liability.

Since Holliday re-signed with St. Louis, he ranks second in the National League in batting average, second in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging and sixth in RBIs. He’s off to an outstanding start in 2011, leading the NL in batting average (.356) and ranking third in OBP (.447) and fourth in slugging (.568.) And according to Fielding Bible defensive rankings, Holliday is a “plus” left fielder for the second consecutive year.

No, that doesn’t eliminate the problem of accommodating Pujols after allocating big payroll dollars to Holliday. But I believe the Cardinals had an understandable strategy in mind.

Mozeliak refuses to publicly discuss his dealings with Pujols’ agent, Dan Lozano. But clearly the Cardinals’ management had reason to conclude it would be extremely difficult to re-sign Pujols. And that’s probably an accurate read, given media reports of Lozano seeking a 10-year deal approaching $300 million. Mozeliak has repeatedly said that his concern is the length of contract rather than the average annual average salary. The Cardinals want to commit to fewer years.

If the Cardinals figured that the Pujols terms would be even higher than anticipated, it explains the club’s desire to get Holliday locked in.

Team Pujols would have you believe that they were serious about wanting to reach a new deal with the Cardinals at least two years before his contract was due to expire.

And on multiple occasions I’ve criticized the organization for dragging and waiting too long to initiate serious negotiations with Pujols. I can assure you that Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. disputes that characterization.

Read More: Lance Berkman (RF – STL), Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Eric Hosmer (1B – KAN), Jake Westbrook (P – STL), Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals

After missing the last three games due to a sprained wrist, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman could return in time to face the Kansas City Royals in the final game of the I-70 series. Thus far, the series has been marked not by the hitting of Albert Pujols, Eric Hosmer or Matt Holliday but by strong pitching performances on both sides. The winner of tomorrow’s afternoon contest will take the series win overall.

Jaime Garcia (5-0, 1.64) looks to extend the Cardinals current scoreless innings pitched streak that Jake Westbrook laid out last night in the Cardinals win, 3-0. The Royals counter with Sean O’Sullivan (2-3, 4.65) whose last two starts were problematic, yet he could continue a streak of solid starting pitching from the Royals that include a shutout from Jeff Francis and five shutout innings on Saturday from rookie Nathan Adcock.

Yet the addition of Berkman to a line-up that features last night’s offensive hero, Holliday, and Pujols certainly makes the battle more difficult for the Royals in addition to having their best starter on the mound. The Cards will come with everything they have to finish off the series with a win, but if the Royals can pull it out, it would provide significant momentum heading into a week where they’re on the road for six straight against the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — For Jake Westbrook and the St. Louis Cardinals, beating Kansas City was as easy as 1-2-3.

With the bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth inning of a scoreless game, Westbrook got Jeff Francoeur to pound a grounder right back to the mound. Westbrook reacted quickly and threw to catcher Yadier Molina for one out, then Molina whipped the ball to first base to complete the 1-2-3 double play, and the St. Louis Cardinals went on to shut out the Royals 3-0 on a bright, breezy afternoon.

Matt Holliday snapped a scoreless tie in the eighth with a two-run home run off Blake Wood, giving the Cardinals five wins in six games.

“It worked out perfectly,” said Westbrook (4-3), who went eight innings and allowed only four hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

Westbrook had faced the minimum the first three innings before giving up singles to Alex Gordon and Melky Cabrera. Pitching delicately to Eric Hosmer, he walked the rookie sensation, loading the bases.

“I’ve got a base open, and he’s their guy,” Westbrook said. “Even if it’s a double play to somebody else, it’s just one run and it’s kind of where you want, me being a sinkerball guy. But it came right back to me, and we get two big outs there.”

The third out was on a bang-bang play by shortstop Ryan Theriot, who made a good stop of Billy Butler’s grounder and threw out the slow-running designated hitter.

“We weren’t out of the woods until he makes that play there,” said Westbrook, who is 3-0 in Kauffman Stadium.

Kansas City’s Nate Adcock went five scoreless innings in his first major league start.

“He danced in and out of trouble early on, and then he really settled down,” Royals Manager Ned Yost said. “He got his pitch count up around 75, where we wanted it. I thought he pitched pretty good.”

Albert Pujols singled off Tim Collins (2-2) with one out in the eighth, then Holliday, who came in with a National League-leading .357 average, hit reliever Blake Wood’s 2-1 pitch 433 feet over the left-field fence.

Fernando Salas pitched the ninth for his sixth save in six opportunities.

“Tough ballgame,” Cardinals Manger Tony La Russa said. “Pitching out of bases-loaded, nobody out, that was upper-caliber major league execution for a pitcher. It gave us exactly what we needed. Their starter worked us over.”

The home run reminded Wood of what kind of hitter Holliday is.

“He’s one of the best hitters in the league,” he said. “I left it out over the plate, and he did what he’s supposed to do. I’ve thrown that pitch before and gotten ground outs or it gets fouled off. He put it in the fountain. It was a bad pitch, and he’s great hitter. Most of the time, it’s not like that.”

The Cardinals added a run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Theriot.

Adcock struggled early but allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out four. He was relieved starting the sixth by rookie Louis Coleman. Collins pitched one inning.

In spite of the loss, the Royals tied their team record of 11 straight games without an error.

The Cardinals had a runner at second base with less than two out in each of the first three innings, but Adcock escaped each time. Theriot doubled leading off the first, Molina doubled leading off the second and Jon Jay singled with one out in the third, moved up when Pujols was hit by a pitch but got no father as Holliday flied out and Colby Rasmus struck out.

Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles were each picked off first, raising to six the number of Royals who have either been picked off or caught stealing in the last four games. Hosmer was doubled off first Friday night.

Gordon walked leading off the sixth but was picked off by Molina, and Westbrook, with a quick move, got Aviles after he singled with two out in the seventh.

Cabrera made a great catch of Allen Craig’s deep drive in the second inning, running toward the wall and leaping at the last second to snare the ball and prevent Molina from scoring from second.

NOTES: Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman missed a third straight game with a sprained right wrist. He was hurt making a diving catch Wednesday. … Theriot’s leadoff double in the first stretched his hitting streak to seven games.

Copyright 2011 Columbia Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — For Jake Westbrook and the St. Louis Cardinals, beating Kansas City was as easy as 1-2-3.

With the bases loaded and nobody out in the fourth inning of a scoreless game, Westbrook got Jeff Francoeur to pound a grounder right back to the mound. Westbrook reacted quickly and threw to catcher Yadier Molina for one out, then Molina whipped the ball to first base to complete the 1-2-3 double play, and the St. Louis Cardinals went on to shut out the Royals 3-0 on a bright, breezy afternoon.

Matt Holliday snapped a scoreless tie in the eighth with a two-run home run off Blake Wood , giving the Cardinals five wins in six games.

“It worked out perfectly,” said Westbrook (4-3), who went eight innings and allowed only four hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

Westbrook had faced the minimum the first three innings before giving up singles to Alex Gordon and Melky Cabrera . Pitching delicately to Eric Hosmer , he walked the rookie sensation, loading the bases.

“I’ve got a base open and he’s their guy,” said Westbrook. “Even if it’s a double play to somebody else, it’s just one run and it’s kind of where you want, me being a sinkerball guy. But it came right back to me and we get two big outs there.”

The third out was on a bang-bang play by shortstop Ryan Theriot , who made a good stop of Billy Butler ‘s grounder and threw out the slow-running designated hitter.

“Absolutely,” said Westbrook, who is 3-0 in Kauffman Stadium. “We weren’t out of the woods until he makes that play there.”

Kansas City’s Nate Adcock went five scoreless innings in his first major league start.

“He danced in and out of trouble early on and then he really settled down,” said Royals manager Ned Yost . “He got his pitch count up around 75 where we wanted it. I thought he pitched pretty good.”

Albert Pujols singled off Tim Collins (2-2) with one out in the eighth and then Holliday, who came in with an NL-leading .357 average, hit reliever Blake Wood ‘s 2-1 pitch 433 feet over the left field fence.

Fernando Salas pitched the ninth for his sixth save in six opportunities.

“Tough ballgame,” said Cardinals manger Tony La Russa. “Pitching out of bases-loaded, nobody out, that was upper caliber major league execution for a pitcher. It gave us exactly what we needed. Their starter worked us over.”

The home run reminded Wood of what kind of hitter Holliday is.

“He’s one of the best hitters in the league,” he said. “I left it out over the plate and he did what he’s supposed to do. I’ve thrown that pitch before and gotten ground outs or it gets fouled off. He put it in the fountain. It was a bad pitch and he’s great hitter. Most of the time, it’s not like that.”

The Cardinals added a run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Theriot .

Adcock struggled early but allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out four. He was relieved starting the sixth by rookie Louis Coleman . Collins pitched one inning.

In spite of the loss, the Royals tied their team record of 11 straight games without an error.

The Cardinals had a runner at second base with less than two out in each of the first three innings but Adcock escaped each time. Theriot doubled leading off the first, Molina doubled leading off the second and Jon Jay singled with one out in the third, moved up when Pujols was hit by a pitch, but got no father as Holliday flied out and Colby Rasmus struck out.

Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles were each picked off first, raising to six the numbers of Royals who have either been picked off or caught stealing in the last four games. Hosmer was doubled off first on Friday night.

Gordon walked leading off the sixth but was picked off by catcher Molina and Westbrook, with a quick move, got Aviles after he singled with two out in the seventh.

Cabrera made a great catch of Allen Craig ‘s deep drive in the second inning, running toward the wall and leaping at the last second to snare the ball and prevent Yadier Molina from scoring from second.

NOTES: Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman missed a third straight game with a sprained right wrist, but La Russa said he might be ready on Sunday. He was hurt making a diving catch on Wednesday. … Theriot’s leadoff double in the first stretched his hitting streak to seven games. … Pujols, who went to high school and junior college in the Kansas City area, has reached safely in all but one of the 47 interleague games he’s played against the Royals.

Read More: Lance Berkman (RF – STL), Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Colby Rasmus (CF – STL), Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals

Colby Rasmus pinch-hit for the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night after missing three consecutive games with abdominal pain, and in his post-game remarks manager Tony La Russa suggested Rasmus would have been available, in a closer game, for work as a defensive replacement. He’s no guarantee to play Thursday’s day-game against the Astros at home, but La Russa thinks he’s likely to be back in the lineup by the team’s interleague debut against the Kansas City Royals over the weekend; most of the more dangerous explanations for Rasmus’s discomfort appear to have been ruled out by now. 

Rasmus, who worked a 3-2 count before grounding out in his ninth-inning appearance Wednesday, is hitting .305/.393/.461 for the Cardinals, with three triples to go with three home runs and 15 RBI. The Cardinals could use his bat and his glove, with both Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman hurting after Wednesday’s game against the Astros, but Jon Jay’s great work in Rasmus’s stead has stabilized an outfield that has threatened, of late, to be in flux. 

Read More: Lance Berkman (RF – STL), Kyle Lohse (P – STL), Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Yadier Molina (C – STL), Mark Hamilton (1B – STL), Jon Jay (RF – STL), Allen Craig (LF – STL), Tyler Greene (SS – STL), Bud Norris (P – HOU), Peter Kozma (SS – STL), Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals managed to get on the board against Houston Astros starter Bud Norris Wednesday night, scoring five runs against the hard-throwing starter, and Kyle Lohse pitched eight impeccable innings on the way to a 5-1 Cardinals win. Jon Jay drove in two runs and Yadier Molina had three hits to pace the Cardinals, who also got an RBI double from their 2007 first-round pick, Pete Kozma, who made his Major League debut in relief of Lance Berkman—by way of Tyler Greene, who ended up in right field. 

Berkman and Matt Holliday both left the game with injuries that aren’t thought to be serious at this time; Holliday left early with a strained quad, while Berkman injured his wrist making a diving catch in right field. Tony La Russa’s roster machinations ensured that the two of them were replaced, in one way or another, by nearly every player on the bench and in the lineup; Allen Craig made another start at second base before ending up in the outfield, while Tyler Greene, Craig’s first infield replacement, moved after Kozma came in. Mark Hamilton, the Cardinals’ little-used backup first baseman, saw a few innings in the outfield to complete the effect. 

Carlos Lee doubled, while Michael Bourn and Humberto Quintero each had two hits for the Astros, who fall to 15-28 on the season. 

Holliday fought off an inside pitch for the tying hit with one out in the eighth, chasing Johnson after 114 pitches, and Lance Berkman greeted Mike Dunn with a three-run homer.

Johnson allowed only 18 hits in 41 innings in April. The Cardinals went 8 for 25 against him Thursday, finishing with three straight singles as Johnson’s ERA climbed to 1.68.

Berkman hit his 10th homer, and only second at home, on a 1-0 pitch to cap a four-RBI day that put him at 32 in 29 games. That gave the Cardinals enough of a cushion to salvage a split against the Marlins, whose 19-11 start is the best in franchise history.

Jason Motte (1-0) had a strikeout and walk in the eighth, and Eduardo Sanchez finished for his third save in three chances.

Johnson gave up three straight hits, including Holliday’s RBI single, in the first, only the second time all season he’d given up even one hit the first three innings.

He also had a walk but escaped with only one run allowed after Pujols was easily thrown out by centerfielder Chris Coghlan trying to go to third on Holliday’s hit.

Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook was perfect for 42/3 innings and the Marlins didn’t get the ball out of the infield until Mike Stanton flied out to right for the second out in the fifth.

Cardinals 6, Marlins 3

Florida 000 020 100 – 3 7 0

St. Louis 100 001 04x – 6 9 0

Coghlan cf 3   0   0   0   1   2   .270   

Bonifacio lf 4   0   0   0   0   2   .329   

H.Ramirez ss 4   0   1   0   0   2   .200   

G.Sanchez 1b 3   0   0   0   1   1   .316   

Stanton rf 4   0   0   0   0   1   .242   

Dobbs 3b 3   1   1   0   0   0   .316   

Helms 3b 0   0   0   0   1   0   .250   

J.Buck c 4   2   2   0   0   0   .235   

Infante 2b 3   0   2   2   0   0   .244   

Jo.Johnson p 3   0   1   1   0   1   .176   

M.Dunn p 0   0   0   0   0   0   —   

Totals 31   3   7   3   3   9   

Josh Johnson is not a pitching machine, after all.

Untouchable in April, the Marlins ace was battered for five runs on Thursday in his first start of the month as the St. Louis Cardinals beat Florida 6-3.

“Nobody’s perfect,” the Cardinals’ Lance Berkman said. “He probably wasn’t going to go the whole year without giving up a run. You just try to be aggressive and hopefully he makes a mistake in the strike zone.

“You’re not to get him too many times.”

Matt Holliday had two hits and two RBIs and Albert Pujols singled three times against Johnson (3-1), the National League pitcher of the month who had an 0.88 ERA in April.

Holliday fought off an inside pitch for the tying hit with one out in the eighth, chasing Johnson after 114 pitches, and Berkman greeted left-hander Mike Dunn with a three-run homer. The switch-hitting Berkman, a much better left-handed hitter, foiled the Marlins’ strategy and hit his second homer of the season batting right-handed.

Johnson allowed only 18 hits in 41 innings in April. The Cardinals went 8 for 25, finishing with three straight singles as Johnson’s ERA climbed to 1.68.

“I was battling, trying to get outs,” Johnson said. “I’ve been having to battle for a couple of starts, so it’s part of the game.”

Johnson said he’s been having mechanical issues his last three starts. He allowed one run in 14 innings the previous two against the Reds and Rockies, but the Cardinals made him pay.

Berkman hit his 10th homer, and only second at home, on a 1-0 pitch to cap a four-RBI day that put him at 32 in 29 games. That gave the Cardinals enough of a cushion to salvage a split against the Marlins, whose 19-11 start is the best in franchise history.

“Berkman, what can you say, he’s on fire right now,” the Marlins’ Greg Dobbs said. “Maybe next time we see him, he won’t be.”

The Cardinals’ 3-4-5 hitters totaled seven hits, two walks and all six RBIs.

“When you have depth like that, one of three guys can have a good day and you have enough offense to win,” manager Tony La Russa said.

The three-hit day was Pujols’ second of the season and first since April 12, raising his average to .252.

“Now Albert Pujols starts swinging the bat better,” Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. “So we’re getting out of here just in time.”

Jason Motte (1-0) had a strikeout and walk in the eighth and Eduardo Sanchez finished for his third save in three chances.

Johnson gave up three straight hits, including Holliday’s RBI single in the first, only the second time all season he’d given up even one hit the first three innings. He also had a walk, but escaped with only one run allowed after Pujols was easily thrown out by center fielder Chris Coghlan trying to go to third on Holliday’s hit.

Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook was perfect for 4 2-3 innings and the Marlins didn’t get the ball out of the infield until Mike Stanton flied out to right for the second out in the fifth. The next hitter, Dobbs, was the first Florida batter to have a 1-0 count and then delivered the first hit.

Suddenly, Westbrook seemed vulnerable and the Marlins had four singles in a row, including RBIs by Omar Infante and Johnson, for a 2-1 lead. After needing 54 pitches to get 14 outs, Westbrook required 20 pitches to get the final out of the fifth.

“It was frustrating to have that one inning after feeling so good,” Westbrook said.

Berkman’s sacrifice fly, a drive to the wall in left, tied it in the sixth, but the Marlins regained the lead in the seventh when Infante hit an RBI single.

Colby Rasmus drifted to the wall late on a ball that appeared catchable, and a no doubt frustrated Westbrook raced off the field and into the tunnel after Infante’s hit.

“Nobody got deflated,” La Russa said. “I think they were just upset that it had turned out that way.”

Johnson walked three of the first 15 hitters, matching his career total covering 27 2-3 innings against the Cardinals entering the game and finished with four walks.

NOTES: Holliday is has an 11-game hitting streak and leads the NL with a .411 average. … Chris Carpenter’s bases-loaded walk to Gaby Sanchez on Wednesday night was his first in 73 batters, according to STATS LLC. … The Cardinals are 1-6 in Carpenter’s starts. … Ramirez is batting .153 (13 for 85) against right-handed pitchers. … Dobbs left after grounding out in the seventh with a right ankle strain. He did a cartwheel of sorts eluding a tag at the plate to score Florida’s first run in the fifth, but said that was no factor, and expected to be available to play Friday.

ST. LOUIS — Kyle Lohse is carrying his share of the load again. More than his share, actually.

The right-hander threw a career-best two-hitter for his fourth straight impressive outing on the comeback trail in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

Lohse is 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA, distancing himself from two injury-plagued seasons.

“I had some tough times beating myself up, trying to figure out what was going on,” Lohse said. “It feels good to be back in that groove and being successful again.”

Matt Holliday kept his average near .500 with a two-run homer in the first inning and single and Albert Pujols added a two-run homer off Collin Balester in a three-run eighth. St. Louis took two of three from the Nationals and has won eight of 11 overall.

The Nationals are 4-14 at 6-year-old Busch Stadium. The combined Expos/Nationals franchise has won only two of 16 series in St. Louis dating to 1997.

Lohse struck out six and walked two in his eighth career complete game and sixth shutout, both accomplished last on April 12, 2009, with a three-hitter against Houston.

Lohse has worked at least seven innings in all four starts, moving past a pair of seasons when he was hindered by a forearm injury that required surgery last May, going a combined 10-18 with a 5.54 ERA in 2009-10.

“We’ve seen Kyle like this, this is the guy that won 15 games for us,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He’s been going out there with less than his best and taking his beating at times, so I think he just enjoys having a fair chance.”

Tom Gorzelanny (0-2) kept going the Nationals’ run of five-inning starts in every game, but had to work for it. The left-hander walked a batter in each of his first four innings and needed 108 pitches to get through five but was hurt only by Holliday’s second homer with two outs in the first.

“He wasn’t sharp, but he really gutted it out and kept us in the game,” manager Jim Riggleman said. “He hurt his own cause by throwing a lot of pitches but that’s the way it is some days.

“You’re not on top of your game, but you still got to keep your team in the game, and he did that.”

Pujols walked with two outs ahead of Holliday’s drive into the Washington bullpen in left on an 0-2 pitch. Holliday is batting .455, although he doesn’t yet have enough plate appearances to qualify for the league leaders after missing seven games in early April following an appendectomy.

Holliday is 7 for 12 with runners in scoring position, a huge change from the start to his first season in St. Louis. Holliday batted .312 with 28 homers and 103 RBI last year — in mid-June, he was sixth on the team with only 25 RBI and batting below .200 with runners in scoring position.

Holliday leads the major leagues with a .532 on-base percentage since returning from the operation.

“He’s in the prime of his career,” La Russa said. “The ball is just jumping off his bat all over the place.”

Lohse retired 11 in a row to start the game before running into his only trouble when Jayson Werth singled and Adam LaRoche walked with two outs in the fourth, giving the Nationals their lone runner in scoring position. Mike Morse singled leading off the fifth before being erased in a double play and Lohse set down 10 of the last 11.

Pujols hit his sixth homer in the eighth after Colby Rasmus drew a leadoff walk, and David Freese added an RBI double.

The Nationals totaled three runs on seven hits the last two games after scoring 25 runs during a four-game winning streak.

“Right now we’re in a period where they pitched and we didn’t hit,” Riggleman said. “It was only a few days before that we were putting double figures in hits out there.”

Notes

• Pujols grounded into his eighth double play in the third, most in the National League. He entered tied for first in the majors.
• Gorzelanny has surrendered four homers in 15 2/3 innings.
• The Cardinals have used 17 different lineups in 19 games.
• The Nationals optioned C Jesus Flores, their third catcher, to Triple-A Syracuse. During a 10-game stint, Flores appeared in two games and was 1 for 2.
• Holliday and Pujols homered in the same game for the first time this season.