ST. LOUIS (AP)—Albert Pujols(notes) and the St. Louis Cardinals sorely needed
this one, so the slugger picked a perfect time for a breakout game against the
surging Milwaukee Brewers.

Pujols kicked off a 4-for-4 night with a solo homer and the Cardinals beat
the Brewers 5-2 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

St. Louis pulled within four games of NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which
has won 13 of 15. The Cardinals are the only team to beat the Brewers during
their hot streak.

Pujols almost doubled his hit total for the season against Milwaukee. The
big first baseman entered with just five hits in 42 at-bats against the
Cardinals’ main division rival, but he put that slide behind him with a drive in
the first against Yovani Gallardo(notes) (13-8).

Pujols moved into a tie with teammate Lance Berkman(notes) for the National League
lead with 28 homers and added three singles to up his average to .284.

“The last couple of days, no hits,” Pujols said. “Today, four hits. What
did I change? Nothing.

“I’m just trying to be consistent like I have. I think anyone would love to
have those numbers I have after 100-plus games.”

Chris Carpenter (8-8) gave up 10 hits in eight innings, but shut down the
Brewers after they scored twice in the first. Fernando Salas(notes) finished for his
22nd save in 25 opportunities.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa stopped short of calling it a must-win game,
but was pleased with the effort.

“Do or die is the last couple of weeks when the numbers are staring you in
the face,” La Russa said. “There was a lot of urgency today. We beat a very
good pitcher.”

Mark Kotsay(notes), subbing for All-Star slugger Ryan Braun(notes), reached three times
and had an RBI double for Milwaukee. Prince Fielder(notes) had a run-scoring single to
give him 88 RBIs.

“I think we had a great road trip,” Fielder said. “We had a great series
here. I think we played good baseball tonight as well.”

After last week’s series in Milwaukee, which featured ejections and warnings
for hit batters, this three-game set was fairly tame. The only thing close to an
outburst came in the top of the eighth inning when all four umpires gathered
briefly near third base and sent the Milwaukee bench a message.

“(There were) just some comments that were made from a couple of players,”
Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. “They were telling me to keep one of our
players quiet.”

Rafael Furcal(notes) got St. Louis off to a fast start with a leadoff drive to
right in the first. After Gallardo fanned Jon Jay(notes), Pujols hit a tying drive over
the wall in center.

St. Louis took its first lead of the series in the third with some help from
the Brewers. Second baseman Felipe Lopez(notes) booted Furcal’s ground ball leading off
the inning, allowing him to reach first. Furcal was forced at second by Jay, but
Pujols and Berkman followed with singles to plate Jay.

That same combination worked again in the fifth when Jay singled to right
with two out, stole second and scored on Pujols’ single to center. Pujols moved
to third on Berkman’s single to right and came home on a wild pitch to make it
5-2.

“Obviously, it’s a nice win,” Carpenter said. “We needed this one. I went
out and gave up the two early and we got the two right back and started over
again. That was key.”

Gallardo gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits in five innings.

“I just left the ball up,” he said. “That first inning, a curveball up in
the zone (to Pujols). He’s a good hitter. He’s going to take advantage of those
mistakes.”

NOTES: Furcal’s leadoff homer was the 27th of his career. … Milwaukee will
start a seven-game homestand Friday when it begins a three-game series with the
Pirates. The Brewers are a major league-best 41-15 at home. … Cardinals OF
Matt Holliday(notes) was out of the lineup for a second straight game with back
tightness. … Milwaukee’s Frankie De La Cruz(notes), who was called up earlier in the
day to replace Chris Narveson(notes) on the roster, pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
… Cardinals C Yadier Molina(notes) extended his hitting streak to 14 games with an
eighth-inning single.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Albert Pujols(notes) and the St. Louis Cardinals sorely needed
this one, so the slugger picked a perfect time for a breakout game against the
surging Milwaukee Brewers.

Pujols kicked off a 4-for-4 night with a solo homer and the Cardinals beat
the Brewers 5-2 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

St. Louis pulled within four games of NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which
has won 13 of 15. The Cardinals are the only team to beat the Brewers during
their hot streak.

Pujols almost doubled his hit total for the season against Milwaukee. The
big first baseman entered with just five hits in 42 at-bats against the
Cardinals’ main division rival, but he put that slide behind him with a drive in
the first against Yovani Gallardo(notes) (13-8).

Pujols moved into a tie with teammate Lance Berkman(notes) for the National League
lead with 28 homers and added three singles to up his average to .284.

“The last couple of days, no hits,” Pujols said. “Today, four hits. What
did I change? Nothing.

“I’m just trying to be consistent like I have. I think anyone would love to
have those numbers I have after 100-plus games.”

Chris Carpenter (8-8) gave up 10 hits in eight innings, but shut down the
Brewers after they scored twice in the first. Fernando Salas(notes) finished for his
22nd save in 25 opportunities.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa stopped short of calling it a must-win game,
but was pleased with the effort.

“Do or die is the last couple of weeks when the numbers are staring you in
the face,” La Russa said. “There was a lot of urgency today. We beat a very
good pitcher.”

Mark Kotsay(notes), subbing for All-Star slugger Ryan Braun(notes), reached three times
and had an RBI double for Milwaukee. Prince Fielder(notes) had a run-scoring single to
give him 88 RBIs.

“I think we had a great road trip,” Fielder said. “We had a great series
here. I think we played good baseball tonight as well.”

After last week’s series in Milwaukee, which featured ejections and warnings
for hit batters, this three-game set was fairly tame. The only thing close to an
outburst came in the top of the eighth inning when all four umpires gathered
briefly near third base and sent the Milwaukee bench a message.

“(There were) just some comments that were made from a couple of players,”
Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. “They were telling me to keep one of our
players quiet.”

Rafael Furcal(notes) got St. Louis off to a fast start with a leadoff drive to
right in the first. After Gallardo fanned Jon Jay(notes), Pujols hit a tying drive over
the wall in center.

St. Louis took its first lead of the series in the third with some help from
the Brewers. Second baseman Felipe Lopez(notes) booted Furcal’s ground ball leading off
the inning, allowing him to reach first. Furcal was forced at second by Jay, but
Pujols and Berkman followed with singles to plate Jay.

That same combination worked again in the fifth when Jay singled to right
with two out, stole second and scored on Pujols’ single to center. Pujols moved
to third on Berkman’s single to right and came home on a wild pitch to make it
5-2.

“Obviously, it’s a nice win,” Carpenter said. “We needed this one. I went
out and gave up the two early and we got the two right back and started over
again. That was key.”

Gallardo gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits in five innings.

“I just left the ball up,” he said. “That first inning, a curveball up in
the zone (to Pujols). He’s a good hitter. He’s going to take advantage of those
mistakes.”

NOTES: Furcal’s leadoff homer was the 27th of his career. … Milwaukee will
start a seven-game homestand Friday when it begins a three-game series with the
Pirates. The Brewers are a major league-best 41-15 at home. … Cardinals OF
Matt Holliday(notes) was out of the lineup for a second straight game with back
tightness. … Milwaukee’s Frankie De La Cruz(notes), who was called up earlier in the
day to replace Chris Narveson(notes) on the roster, pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
… Cardinals C Yadier Molina(notes) extended his hitting streak to 14 games with an
eighth-inning single.

Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman form one of the most feared trios in the National League.
The Florida Marlins are seeing exactly how dangerous they are this weekend.
Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first inning while Holliday and Berkman each doubled and singled Saturday night as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins 2-1.
“Best lineup in the league, by far,” Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco said. “Not to knock anyone else’s lineup, but when you have to face those three guys back-to-back-to back and possibly with runners on, there’s no doubt that’s the best three, four, five in the league.”
In the first three games of the series, all Cardinals wins, the trio has combined to hit .432 (16 of 37) with four home runs, 10 extra-base hits and eight RBIs.
“We all understand that you got three guys in that lineup that can beat you,” Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. “You’ve got to use your head out there.”
The Cardinals took advantage in the first inning when Rafael Furcal hit a leadoff single to start the game, though replays seemed to show right fielder Mike Stanton caught the ball before it hit the ground.
“There’s no question about it, we all thought he caught it,” McKeon said.
Two batters later, Pujols hit his 26th home run and second in his last three games. Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis bullpen made it stand up.
“Although you might have success against a pitcher, you don’t want to take anything for granted,” Pujols said. “I’ll take him on my team any time. He’s a good quality pitcher. He’s going to give you some innings. Even though he made that mistake against me that gave us our two runs, he kept us off balance the rest of the night.”
Nolasco (8-8) gave up 10 hits in seven innings.
Carpenter (7-8) gave up five hits over 6 2-3 innings as the Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games.
“Our goal is to try to win every series,” Pujols said. “We won the series hopefully (Sunday) we can take the fourth game.”
Fernando Salas, the fifth Cardinals pitcher, worked a scoreless ninth for his 21st save in 24 chances.
Daniel Descalso had three hits of the 14 hits for the Cardinals, who held on for the win despite leaving 12 men on base. They were 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
“That’s part of the game,” Pujols said.
Carpenter struck out seven and walked two. He’s won six of his last seven decisions and defeated the Marlins for the first time since August 29, 2005.
“You want to make pitches, that’s what you’re supposed to do as a starter,” Carpenter said. “You’re trying to execute the whole game until your job is over and the manager comes out to take the ball from you. I was able to make pitches when I had to.”
The Marlins made it 2-1 in the fourth when Dewayne Wise was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Nolasco grounded into a double play to end the Marlins threat.
“That was a big part of the game,” Carpenter said. “From that point on, I executed and made pitches.”
NOTES: Marlins INF Alfredo Amezaga went 1 for 4 in his first game back with the team after they acquired him in a trade with the Rockies before the game. Amezaga said it was “like a dream come true again” to return to the club that he played with for four seasons (2006-09). … Mired in a 1-for-17 slump, Cardinals OF Jon Jay singled in the eighth. … Stanton notched his ninth outfield assist throwing out Berkman at second in the ninth. His nine assists are tied for second in the National League. … LHP Jaime Garcia will start Sunday’s game as the Cardinals look to complete the sweep. Garcia is 5-1 with a 1.54 ERA in 11 starts against NL East teams. The Marlins will counter with RHP Javier Vazquez, who is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in his last eight starts.

Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first inning while Holliday and Berkman each doubled and singled Saturday night as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins 2-1.

“Best lineup in the league, by far,” Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco said. “Not to knock anyone else’s lineup, but when you have to face those three guys back-to-back-to back and possibly with runners on, there’s no doubt that’s the best three, four, five in the league.”

In the first three games of the series, all Cardinals wins, the trio has combined to hit .432 (16 of 37) with four home runs, 10 extra-base hits and eight RBIs.

“We all understand that you got three guys in that lineup that can beat you,” Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. “You’ve got to use your head out there.”

The Cardinals took advantage in the first inning when Rafael Furcal hit a leadoff single to start the game, though replays seemed to show right fielder Mike Stanton caught the ball before it hit the ground.

“There’s no question about it, we all thought he caught it,” McKeon said.

Two batters later, Pujols hit his 26th home run and second in his last three games. Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis bullpen made it stand up.

“Although you might have success against a pitcher, you don’t want to take anything for granted,” Pujols said. “I’ll take him on my team any time. He’s a good quality pitcher. He’s going to give you some innings. Even though he made that mistake against me that gave us our two runs, he kept us off balance the rest of the night.”

Nolasco (8-8) gave up 10 hits in seven innings.

Carpenter (7-8) gave up five hits over 6 2-3 innings as the Cardinals won for the fourth time in five games.

“Our goal is to try to win every series,” Pujols said. “We won the series hopefully (Sunday) we can take the fourth game.”

Fernando Salas, the fifth Cardinals pitcher, worked a scoreless ninth for his 21st save in 24 chances.

Daniel Descalso had three hits of the 14 hits for the Cardinals, who held on for the win despite leaving 12 men on base. They were 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

“That’s part of the game,” Pujols said.

Carpenter struck out seven and walked two. He’s won six of his last seven decisions and defeated the Marlins for the first time since August 29, 2005.

“You want to make pitches, that’s what you’re supposed to do as a starter,” Carpenter said. “You’re trying to execute the whole game until your job is over and the manager comes out to take the ball from you. I was able to make pitches when I had to.”

The Marlins made it 2-1 in the fourth when Dewayne Wise was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Nolasco grounded into a double play to end the Marlins threat.

“That was a big part of the game,” Carpenter said. “From that point on, I executed and made pitches.”

NOTES: Marlins INF Alfredo Amezaga went 1 for 4 in his first game back with the team after they acquired him in a trade with the Rockies before the game. Amezaga said it was “like a dream come true again” to return to the club that he played with for four seasons (2006-09). … Mired in a 1-for-17 slump, Cardinals OF Jon Jay singled in the eighth. … Stanton notched his ninth outfield assist throwing out Berkman at second in the ninth. His nine assists are tied for second in the National League. … LHP Jaime Garcia will start Sunday’s game as the Cardinals look to complete the sweep. Garcia is 5-1 with a 1.54 ERA in 11 starts against NL East teams. The Marlins will counter with RHP Javier Vazquez, who is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in his last eight starts.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Pirates lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 at PNC Park Friday night, thanks to a barrage of extra-base hits by the Cards.

Eight of the Cardinals’ 15 hits went for extra bases, including three home runs. Albert Pujols went 4-for-5 with a homer and two doubles, and Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double. David Freese also homered.

The Pirates managed 11 hits, nine of them singles, and scored four runs, although starter Chris Carpenter managed to stay in the game for eight innings.

New reliever Jason Grilli made his Pirates debut and allowed one of the Pujols doubles, but he also struck out Matt Holliday and got through an inning without allowing a run.

The Pirates and Cardinals are now tied for second place in the NL Central, and both are a half a game back of the Milwaukee Brewers.

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.

Jeff Samardzija is in good company. When Albert Pujols is locked in, hitting your spot is no guarantee.
Pujols said the slider that he hammered for the game-winning home run in the 12th inning of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday was not a bad pitch by any means. No consolation for the right-hander who served it up.
“Sometimes you look back on things and think, ‘Would I do something different?’” Samardzija said. “I thought I made a pretty good pitch.
“He put the barrel on it and it went,” he said. “That’s Albert Pujols.”
Cubs manager Mike Quade said he told Samardzija to be careful, and added that next time he might walk Pujols even with the bases empty and two outs. The Cubs could have walked both Pujols and cleanup hitter Lance Berkman to get to reliever Eduardo Sanchez (2-1), batting fifth after double-switches.
“You look at the pitch, it wasn’t a bad pitch,” Pujols said. “I don’t try to be a hero. I just want to start something.”
Samardzija (3-2) said it was all his fault that Pujols ended it.
“I’m the one pitching, I was the one that gave it up,” Samardzija said. “He came out, we talked about it. We weren’t going to live out in the middle of the plate on Pujols. Then again, when a guy like that is hitting, whatever you think is good, probably has to be a little better.”
Pujols had his ninth game-ending homer of his career and first since Aug. 16, 2009, against the Padres as the Cardinals prevailed in 95-degree heat.
“They had the pitcher’s spot coming up, that was our salvation,” Quade said. “But you figure you can keep him in the ballpark, you take your chances, and we couldn’t.”
St. Louis relievers retired 17 in a row to end it, with Eduardo Sanchez (2-1) striking out two in two perfect innings. The Cubs have lost eight of 10 and didn’t get a hit after Carlos Pena’s infield single with one out in the seventh.
This was only Pujols’ second game with multiple extra-base hits of the season, and he drove in four runs. Pujols hit a two-run shot off Randy Wells in the fourth and his RBI double chased Wells in a two-run sixth that tied it.
Pena hit a two-run homer in the Cubs’ four-run sixth against Kyle Lohse. Kosuke Fukudome had three hits, two of them doubles, with an RBI.
St. Louis had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth before the Cubs went to Carlos Marmol, who struck out Berkman and got Tony Cruz on a flyout. Pujols, who led the National League with 38, 44 and 34 intentional walks the last three seasons, drew only his fourth this year in the ninth.
Marmol worked around a hit batsman and infield hit in the 11th and has thrown 25 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road, a franchise best for Cubs relievers, according information provided by the Cubs from the Elias Sports Bureau.
Kyle Lohse gave up a season-high 11 hits and four runs, all in the sixth to match a season worst, and failed to last at least six innings for the first time in his 12 starts this season. He’s 1-4 with a 6.51 ERA in 11 starts against the Cubs.
Pena’s two-run homer was one of three extra-base hits in the sixth that erased a 2-0 deficit, with Tony Campana and Fukudome also driving in a run apiece.
Pujols’ RBI double cut the deficit to one and chased Wells. Berkman singled on an 0-2 count against Sean Marshall, who had held opponents to 3 for 21 with runners in scoring position, to tie it.
Like Lohse, Wells gave up four runs and lasted 5 2-3 innings, but the Cardinals needed only three hits. In two starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list from a forearm injury, Wells has allowed nine runs in 9 2-3 innings.
“I feel like there are things I still need to work on,” Wells said. “Obviously, arm strength. I felt good, kept the pitch count down. I think I need to manage the game better. That’s one thing I’m going to try and take a way from this.”
Wells had won his previous two starts against St. Louis, both last season, allowing one run in 15 innings.
Cardinals leadoff man Ryan Theriot singled in the sixth and walked and has hit in a career-high 18 games, also the longest active streak in the majors.
NOTES: Quade said 3B Aramis Ramirez, who has missed three starts with a cut on his lip after getting struck in the face diving for a grounder, could return to the lineup Sunday. … RHP Matt Garza (elbow) is set to return from the DL on Monday and start at Cincinnati and Quade said RHP Rodrigo Lopez could start Tuesday. … 3B Matt Carpenter made the defensive stop of the game in his major league debut, diving to his right to rob Darwin Barney of a hit in the third, and doubled for his first hit in the ninth. … Kerry Wood gave up a double and hit a batter in a season-high two innings with two strikeouts. It was his only his second outing over one inning. … Warren Brusstar (1983) and Lee Smith (1982-83) each worked 23 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road for Chicago.

ST. LOUIS—Albert Pujols is back at third base for the first time in 15 days.

Pujols is penciled in to start at third tonight against San Francisco Giants righthander Ryan Vogelsong in an effort to get hot-hitting Jon Jay in the lineup.

The lefthanded-hitting Jay, who leads the club with 17 hits over the past 10 games, will start in right field with Lance Berkman moving in to play first base.

“An example of a true superstar who would say, ‘Hey whatever you want to do,’ ” manager Tony La Russa said of Pujols accepting the move. “Not a whole lot of them would volunteer to move over at a demanding position, but he’s amazing.”

Just don’t get used to the idea, La Russa said.

“He’s a Gold Glove first baseman. He’s a key member of our defense,” La Russa said. “I don’t think it’s something we should ask him to do more than just a few times, but today is one of those times.”

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.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The St. Louis Cardinals are waiting. Any day now. Have patience, they say.

Albert Pujols is listening. Except he says he’s not. None of these words affects him. Not slump, not setback, not whatever else people are saying.

“I don’t get caught up with what people say,” Pujols said.

So, if you want to know what’s the matter with Albert Pujols, you have come to the wrong place.

He is mired in the worst start of his career, the Cardinals’ cornerstone finally displaying a human gene hidden under all that machinelike consistency.

He’s batting just .266 with seven homers in 46 games. He has just 13 extra-base hits, has grounded into an NL-leading 13 doubles play – and hasn’t hit a home run since April 23.

And on Friday evening, as Pujols stepped to the plate in the first inning against the Royals, the scoreboard told an unfamiliar story.

For perhaps the first time since he arrived in Independence as a young teenager and began crushing line drives at Fort Osage High School, Pujols stepped onto a baseball field in Kansas City with his batting average hovering south of .265.

Of course, these numbers may only qualify as a slump when your name is Albert Pujols and you spent the last decade fashioning one of the best 10-year stretches in baseball history.

And this is the thing, Pujols says. You can look at the numbers – the fact he’s never hit worse than .312, never hit fewer than 32 homers or never had fewer than 103 RBIs – and people begin to think all this success came without pain.

“People think that because I make it look easy these last nine years,” Pujols says. “But this game is not easy.”

He may be a 21-century baseball anomaly, a superstar player sculpting a Hall of Fame career with one team. And he may be poised to become a free agent in the offseason. And he may be finally playing like a mere mortal.

But Pujols stays resolute, steadfast in his routine, prepared to help the Cardinals stay atop the National League Central.

“I’m right where I want to be,” he says. “Did I prefer to be hitting .400? Yes, of course. But we’re right where we want to be. This is not about me. This is about our ballclub and we’re winning.”

Kyle McClellan is standing in front of his locker and trying to explain what Pujols means to all those red-clad fans that will soon flock to Kauffman Stadium in just a few hours.

McClellan is a member of the Cardinals’ starting rotation, and in 2011, he’s been a good one. He’s 6-1 with a 3.43 ERA and one of the reasons the Cardinals entered Friday in first place in the NL Central.

But more than that, McClellan is a St. Louis native, a former prep star who went to high school just a handful of miles from Busch Stadium. So perhaps, more than anyone else in the Cardinals clubhouse, McClellan is qualified to tell you about Pujols’ connection to his city.

“You think of the St. Louis Cardinals in the last 10 years,” McClellan said. “He’s the first thing you think of.”

As much as Pujols has meant to the fans, McClellan says, he’s done that much more off the field.

So maybe he’ll break out this weekend. He entered the series batting .383 with 13 homers at Kaufman Stadium. And his family was in the stands on Friday night.

“Those are good questions,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa says. ” . . . he’s already started having really good at-bats.”

So now the Cardinals wait for their star. And if you still want to know if this seven-week slump is simply just a blip – a short phase before Pujols begins dominating again – well, you’ll have to wait, too.

“I’ll let you know in September,” Pujols says. “I’ll let you know in September.”

The Reds emphatically put a stop to Chris Carpenter’s five-year streak of dominating them. Those bad feelings? Judging by the final out, they’re not going to end anytime soon.

If anything, the NL Central’s rock ‘em, sock ‘em rivalry keeps getting livelier.

Brandon Phillips hit a bases-loaded double in the seventh inning Sunday that ended Carpenter’s outing and his long streak of beating the Reds, who held on for a 9-7 victory and three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fittingly, it ended with more full-throat screaming — the Cardinals were upset that Albert Pujols got plunked by Francisco Cordero in the ninth.

“The teams don’t like each other,” said Lance Berkman, who struck out against Cordero for the final out. “That’s just part of the deal.”

The Reds’ first home sweep of the Cardinals since September 2007 left them alone atop the NL Central, 1½ games ahead of the fuming Cardinals. The Reds got the better of their two-team race last season, and reasserted themselves over the weekend as the ones to beat.

“It’s always a beautiful thing getting a sweep,” Phillips said. “I’m happy with a win no matter who we’re playing. We’re having fun right now.”

Not the Cardinals.

Carpenter (1-3) hadn’t lost to the Reds since June 6, 2006, winning his last 10 decisions against them. Phillips, despised by the Cardinals for his demeaning remarks that touched off a brawl last season, got the decisive hit.

Trailing 4-2 in the seventh, the Cardinals intentionally walked National League MVP Joey Votto and let Carpenter face Phillips with the bases loaded. His double made it 6-2 and ended Carpenter’s outing. Jay Bruce followed with a two-run double off Trever Miller.

“Like I’ve been telling everybody, everybody has their day,” Phillips said. “Today, we hit his mistakes and took advantage of situations. I love the way we’re playing right now.”

Left-hander Travis Wood (3-3) gave up back-to-back solo homers by Berkman and Yadier Molina in the second inning, but little else against the NL’s most-prolific lineup.

The Reds’ bullpen let most of a 9-2 lead get away, letting the tension build in the ninth.

Aroldis Chapman walked four of the five batters he faced, extending his streak of wildness. Nick Masset gave up a two-run double by Ryan Theriot that cut it to 9-5. Cordero came on with one out and gave up a two-run double to Nick Punto, then came up-and-in with a two-strike pitch to Pujols that hit the first baseman on his left wrist.

Pujols realized that Cordero didn’t want to put the tying run on base, but some of his teammates started yelling at Cordero.

“I’m sure Francisco wasn’t trying to do it on purpose, not with Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman coming up,” Pujols said.

Cordero got Holliday to hit into a forceout, then struck out Berkman and pumped his arm in celebration like he usually does. That’s when the words flew back and forth between the mound and the Cardinals’ dugout. Cordero waved angrily toward the Cardinals dugout before lining up to shake hands with teammates.

“I wasn’t trying to hit him,” Cordero said. “I’ve got nothing against the Cardinals.”

Pujols stayed in the game with a bruise that quickly became the latest enduring mark in the rivalry.

“They took offense to it, we took offense to it, and the soap opera continues between these guys,” acting Cardinals manager Joe Pettini said. “It’s always something when you come in here.”

Cincinnati’s starting lineup had a combined .211 average against Carpenter, who went 5-0 against the Reds last season and was a big reason for the Cardinals’ 12-6 record against them.

Pitching in a steady rain on a 55-degree afternoon, he lost his hold on a team starting to find its stride. The defending NL Central champions have won nine of their last 11, moving a season-high six games over .500 at 23-17. Cincinnati’s 1½-game lead is its biggest since April 17.

The sweep left the Reds 4-2 against St. Louis this season.
 

CBSSports.com wire reports
May 15, 2011

CINCINNATI — The Reds ended emphatically put a stop to Chris Carpenter’s five-year streak of dominating them. Those bad feelings? Judging by the final out, they’re not going to end anytime soon.

If anything, the NL Central’s rock ‘em-sock ‘em rivalry keeps getting livelier.

Brandon Phillips hit a bases-loaded double in the seventh inning Sunday that ended Carpenter’s outing and his long streak of beating the Reds, who held on for a 9-7 victory and three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fittingly, it ended with more full-throat screaming – the Cardinals were upset that Albert Pujols got plunked by Francisco Cordero in the ninth.

“The teams don’t like each other,” said Lance Berkman, who struck out against Cordero for the final out. “That’s just part of the deal.”

The Reds’ first home sweep of the Cardinals since September 2007 left them alone atop the NL Central, 1½ games ahead of the fuming Cardinals. The Reds got the better of their two-team race last season, and reasserted themselves over the weekend as the ones to beat.

“It’s always a beautiful thing getting a sweep,” Phillips said. “I’m happy with a win no matter who we’re playing. We’re having fun right now.”

Not the Cardinals.

Carpenter (1-3) hadn’t lost to the Reds since June 6, 2006, winning his last 10 decisions against them. Phillips, despised by the Cardinals for his demeaning remarks that touched off a brawl last season, got the decisive hit.

Trailing 4-2 in the seventh, the Cardinals intentionally walked National League MVP Joey Votto and let Carpenter face Phillips with the bases loaded. His double made it 6-2 and ended Carpenter’s outing. Jay Bruce followed with a two-run double off Trever Miller.

“Like I’ve been telling everybody, everybody has their day,” Phillips said. “Today, we hit his mistakes and took advantage of situations. I love the way we’re playing right now.”

Left-hander Travis Wood (3-3) gave up back-to-back solo homers by Berkman and Yadier Molina in the second inning, but little else against the NL’s most-prolific lineup.

The Reds’ bullpen let most of a 9-2 lead get away, letting the tension build in the ninth.

Aroldis Chapman walked four of the five batters he faced, extending his streak of wildness. Nick Masset gave up a two-run double by Ryan Theriot that cut it to 9-5. Cordero came on with one out and gave up a two-run double to Nick Punto, then came up-and-in with a two-strike pitch to Pujols that hit the first baseman on his left wrist.

Pujols realized that Cordero didn’t want to put the tying run on base, but some of his teammates started yelling at Cordero.

“I’m sure Francisco wasn’t trying to do it on purpose, not with Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman coming up,” Pujols said.

Cordero got Holliday to hit into a forceout, then struck out Berkman and pumped his arm in celebration like he usually does. That’s when the words flew back and forth between the mound and the Cardinals’ dugout. Cordero waved angrily toward the Cardinals dugout before lining up to shake hands with teammates.

“I wasn’t trying to hit him,” Cordero said. “I’ve got nothing against the Cardinals.”

Pujols stayed in the game with a bruise that quickly became the latest enduring mark in the rivalry.

“They took offense to it, we took offense to it, and the soap opera continues between these guys,” acting Cardinals manager Joe Pettini said. “It’s always something when you come in here.”

Cincinnati’s starting lineup had a combined .211 average against Carpenter, who went 5-0 against the Reds last season and was a big reason for the Cardinals’ 12-6 record against them.

Pitching in a steady rain on a 55-degree afternoon, he lost his hold on a team starting to find its stride. The defending NL Central champions have won nine of their last 11, moving a season-high six games over .500 at 23-17. Cincinnati’s 1½-game lead is its biggest since April 17.

The sweep left the Reds 4-2 against St. Louis this season.

Notes

• Carpenter’s last loss to the Reds was 7-0 against Eric Milton.
• It was the first time the Cardinals got swept this season.
• Berkman’s homer snapped an 0-for-15 slump and gave him 22 at Great American Ball Park, the most by any visiting player.
• Reds C Ryan Hanigan is sidelined by a sore right hand, hit by a pitch on Friday night. He would have played Sunday if healthy.
• Hernandez has six homers, one shy of his total last season.
• Chapman threw 18 balls in 23 pitches. He has walked 12 batters in his last four appearances.

The latest from Rick Hummel offers the St. Louis Cardinals’ position on Albert Pujols’s recent hamstring injury in nice soundbite form: John Mozeliak says the hamstring news leaves Pujols a “day-to-day” or “game-day decision”, and adds that it “does not sound like anything alarming”, which was probably not his exact thought process when Pujols came limping off the field against the Cincinnati Reds. 

Of course, that’s just how it is with Albert Pujols; he’s been wincing, limping, and coming up lame almost continuously since 2003, and it’s rarely serious enough to even occasion his removal from the game he’s begun limping in. Pujols might not be ready for the start of the Houston Astros’ series, but even given the Cardinals’ notorious struggles with estimating injuries—Brad Penny and Troy Glaus come to mind—it would be a surprise to see Pujols miss more than three games with this latest hamstring issue. 

Recent outfield transplant Lance Berkman and rookie first baseman Mark Hamilton are the primary candidates to keep Pujols’s spot warm in the event of an extended absence. 

By the time Lannan met with reporters following an 8-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on yesterday, he’d already done conditioning work that normally would have been saved for today. Even after 101 pitches, he said short rest would not be a problem.

“As soon as I got out of the game I knew I had to kind of get things going,” Lannan said. “I have plenty of time to get ready.”

Manager Jim Riggleman said Sunday’s starting pitcher at Pittsburgh will be decided later in the week. The other logical choice, Jordan Zimmermann, allowed five runs in six innings and threw 96 pitches in a 5-3 loss in Game 2 last night.

“You’ve got to be ready for whenever you start,” Lannan said. “So right now I’m mentally getting ready and we’ll see what happens.”

Lannan (2-1) was in and out of trouble, inducing two double-play balls and holding the Cardinals hitless in seven at-bats with men on base. The only damage came on homers by Albert Pujols and Colby Rasmus.

“I just felt a little off,” Lannan said. “Against this kind of lineup, you’re kind of lucky going out there and getting through five with the stuff that I had.”

Laynce Nix homered and drove in two runs in Game 1 for the Nationals, who chased Jake Westbrook with a six-run third inning.

Lance Berkman had three hits and two RBIs to help St. Louis salvage the split. The Cardinals got four innings of one-hit relief in Game 2.

Jaime Garcia (3-0) allowed one earned run in five-plus innings and Colby Rasmus got his fourth RBI of the day as St. Louis snapped Washington’s four-game winning streak. Reserve third baseman Daniel Descalso had three nice defensive plays.

Jason Motte and rookie Eduardo Sanchez combined for nine straight outs and stand-in closer Mitchell Boggs yielded a hit in the ninth before finishing for his first career save.

Zimmermann (1-3) kept alive the Nationals starters’ streak of working at least five innings in every game, but struggled after beginning the season with a nice run. The right-hander allowed two earned runs or less in each of his first three outings.

“I didn’t have my best stuff today and I missed on a couple pitches,” Zimmermann said. “I battled with what I had and that’s about it.”

Berkman, the reigning NL player of the week, doubled in a run in the fourth and delivered a run-scoring single for the go-ahead hit in the fifth of Game 2.

Sloppy play by St. Louis helped the Nationals tie it in Game 2.

Left fielder Matt Holliday camped under and dropped Rick Ankiel’s fly ball to the warning track for a three-base error in the fourth, leading to an unearned run. Espinosa hit an RBI single in the fifth, then went to third on Garcia’s wild pickoff throw for an error before scoring on Ankiel’s single.

The Cardinals regained the lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth that began with Pujols’ full-count walk and was capped by run-scoring singles from Berkman and Yadier Molina.

NATS 8, CARDS 6

Washington St. Louis

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Espinos 2b 5 2 3 0 Theriot ss 5 0 4 1

Ankiel cf 4 1 1 0 Rasms cf 5 1 2 3

Werth rf 4 1 2 1 Pujols 1b 4 1 2 2

AdLRc 1b 3 1 0 1 Hollidy lf 5 0 2 0

Dsmnd ss 4 1 1 2 Motte p 0 0 0 0

L.Nix lf 4 2 2 2 Brkmn rf 3 0 1 0

IRdrgz c 3 0 1 1 Freese 3b 4 0 0 0

Cora 3b 4 0 0 0 Laird c 2 1 1 0

Storen p 0 0 0 0 Jay ph 1 0 0 0

Lannan p 3 0 0 0 YMolin c 1 0 0 0

Gaudin p 0 0 0 0 Greene 2b 3 1 1 0

Slaten p 0 0 0 0 Dscls ph-2b 2 0 0 0

Clipprd p 0 0 0 0 Westrk p 1 0 0 0

SBurntt p 0 0 0 0 Salas p 1 0 0 0

HrstnJr 3b 1 0 0 0 Punto ph 0 1 0 0

Frnkln p 0 0 0 0

MHmlt ph-lf 1 1 1 0

Totals 35 8 10 7 Totals 38 6 14 6

Washington 106 000 010-8

St. Louis 001 013 010-6

E-Desmond (4), Greene (1). DP-Washington 4, St. Louis 2. LOB-Washington 3, St. Louis 11. 2B-I.Rodriguez (2), Laird (3), Greene (1). 3B-Espinosa (2). HR-L.Nix (2), Rasmus (3), Pujols (5). SB-Desmond (7), L.Nix (1), Greene (4).

IP H R ER BB SO

Washington

Lannan W,2-1 5 7 2 2 3 2

Gaudin 2-3 2 3 0 1 0

Slaten 0 1 0 0 0 0

Clippard H,5 1 1-3 1 0 0 1 2

S.Burnett H,1 2-3 3 1 1 0 0

Storen S,2-2 1 1-3 0 0 0 1 0

St. Louis

Westbrook L,1-2 3 7 7 7 2 1

Salas 3 1 0 0 0 3

Franklin 2 1 1 1 1 1

Motte 1 1 0 0 0 1

Lannan pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

Slaten pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

T-3:20. A-32,340 (43,975).

CARDS 5, NATS 3

Washington St. Louis

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Espinos 2b 4 1 1 1 Theriot ss 5 0 0 0

Ankiel cf 4 1 2 1 Rasms cf 4 0 1 1

Werth rf 4 0 0 1 Pujols 1b 3 1 0 0

AdLRc 1b 2 0 0 0 Hollidy lf 2 2 1 0

WRams c 4 0 0 0 Brkmn rf 4 1 3 2

Morse lf 4 0 0 0 Boggs p 0 0 0 0

Dsmnd ss 4 0 1 0 YMolin c 3 0 2 1

HrstnJr 3b 3 1 1 0 Punto 2b 4 0 1 1

L.Nix ph 1 0 0 0 Descals 3b 4 1 1 0

Zmrmn p 1 0 0 0 JGarci p 1 0 0 0

Cora ph 1 0 0 0 Motte p 0 0 0 0

Balestr p 0 0 0 0 MHmlt ph 1 0 0 0

ESnchz p 0 0 0 0

Jay ph-rf 0 0 0 0

Totals 32 3 5 3 Totals 31 5 9 5

Washington 000 120 000-3

St. Louis 001 220 00x-5

E-Y.Molina (1), Holliday (1), J.Garcia (1). LOB-Washington 5, St. Louis 8. 2B-Berkman (3), Y.Molina (5). SB-Ankiel (3). S-Zimmermann, Y.Molina, J.Garcia.

IP H R ER BB SO

Washington

Zimmermann L,1-3 6 8 5 5 2 3

Balester 2 1 0 0 1 1

St. Louis

J.Garcia W,3-0 5 4 3 1 2 4

Motte H,2 1 0 0 0 0 1

E.Sanchez H,1 2 0 0 0 0 2

Boggs S,1-1 1 1 0 0 0 1

J.Garcia pitched to 1 batter in the 6th.

HBP-by Balester (Jay). Balk-Balester.

Umpires-Home, Marty Foster; First, Bill Welke; Second, Tim Tschida; Third, Mark Ripperger.

T-2:43. A-33,714 (43,975).

ST. LOUIS — The bouncer was bound to see its way through the infield.

After all, it was hit by Albert Pujols, and hitters of his ilk don’t keep making outs; hitters of his stripe hit their way out of it, whether it is with a towering home run or a dribbler through the infield.

Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger, pushed a seventh-inning RBI single through the left side of the Pirates’ infield to lift his team to a 3-2 victory on Tuesday at Busch Stadium.

This came on the heels of some atypical at-bats for Pujols, who is normally the Pirates’ principal nemesis. Going into the at-bat, Pujols was 0 for 4 to that point in the series with two walks and a sacrifice fly — a vast expanse from the 157 career games he’d played against the club prior to Tuesday where Pujols batted .372 with 45 home runs and 134 RBIs.

Pujols’ single capped a seventh in which reliever Garrett Olson’s one-out walk to Ryan Theriot came back to haunt fellow-reliever Chris Resop, who had to try to clean up Olson’s mess, but gave up the single to Pujols.

For what the game turned into — a slugger coming through near the end — it had a solid start for the Pirates, looking to win their third in a rown.

First baseman Lyle Overbay sat on an offspeed pitch with in the first and swatted it into the Cardinals’ bullpen — 421 feet from home plate over the right-centerfield wall — to lift the Pirates to a 2-0 lead.

It was Overbay’s first home run with his new club; he hit 20 last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and has hit 122 in a career that has spanned back to 2001. It is that kind of power that led to the Pirates signing Overbay in the offseason as a free agent and manager Clint Hurdle making him the cleanup hitter during spring training and rolling the decision into the regular-season.

While Overbay showed the power in the first, there was also the swiftness and venture promised this season.

To lead off the game — and three batters before Overbay’s home run — the renewed concentration of the Hurdle-led club making aggressive plays was apparent when Jose Tabata stretched a punched liner into center field into a double with a considered risk, sliding in just before the throw.

That first inning wasn’t the start the Cardinals were seeking from Kyle McClellan, who was making his first career start after being used in his first three seasons as a big leaguer out of the bullpen.

But McClellan settled from there, as he would up working six innings and, after the double to Tabata and subsequent Overbay home run, yielded just four more hits and struck out seven.

Not just that, but McClellan’s club fought back for him.

In the fourth, when Pirates starter James McDonald’s pitch count drifted above 60 pitches, he left a fastball beltline-high to Lance Berkman, who hit it off the wall in the left center.

Allen Craig drove Berkman in with a single to center to pull the Cardinals within 2-1.

But from there, McDonald did well to extricate himself from a bottom of the fourth that could have become messy in a hurry. After the Craig single, McDonald dispensed a walk, but got Skip Schumaker to roll into double play on the right side and then zipped a curveball in on Gerald Laird, who swung and missed it for the third out.

McDonald, pitching for the first time in a big league game since a March 11 side injury in spring training, brawled back in the fourth, but couldn’t make his way out of the fifth.

Two consecutive one-out singles wobbled him and then a sacrifice fly from Pujols — which tied it at 2-2 — knocked McDonald from the game with two out in the fifth.

McDonald’s line in his first start of the 2011 season: 4 2

3 innings, two earned runs, four walks and four strikeouts and he threw 87 pitches.

In the seventh, the Pirates put themselves in prime position to score the go-ahead run, as catcher Jason Jaramillo reached on a one-out walk and stole his second career base, swiping second.

But Ronny Cedeno hit a lazy fly to right for the second out and John Bowker — pinch-hitting in the pitcher’s spot — worked the count full before flying out to center.

Again, a chance arose in the eighth, but Pedro Alvarez, with two men on in a one-run game, struck out looking. It was his third strikeout of the night, complemented by a double play he grounded into.

First published on April 5, 2011 at 11:20 pm