Colorado won its first two Sunday games against the Pirates and Cubs, but has come up empty since beating Chicago on April 17.

“It’s kind of mind-boggling,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “I don’t think there’s anything to it, it’s just one of those things where it hasn’t worked out.”

Colorado manager Jim Tracy said the difference this Sunday was a lack of clutch hitting. The Rockies were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and 3 for 15 with runners on base.

“The question that I’m trying to make sense out of even more so is those opportunities offensively that have escaped us, where you’ve got multiple runners and you come away with nothing,” Tracy said. “You’ve got people coming up there that you would absolutely want up there in those kinds of scenarios.”

Yadier Molina had three hits, a walk and two RBIs for St. Louis, which took two of three from Colorado. The Cardinals remained five games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee with 42 games to go, six of them against the Brewers.

Mark Ellis homered in the first for the Rockies, who have lost four of five. Esmil Rogers (6-2) issued a career-high seven walks, one intentional, in five innings. Colorado has lost six of seven in St. Louis and trails the series 82-81.

Pujols passed teammate Lance Berkman during a three-hit game with his National League-leading 29th homer in the first, a two-run drive estimated at 465 feet that soared over the visitor’s bulllpen and cleared the left field bleachers. The homer sparked a four-run first that matched the Cardinals’ season best for that inning.

Jason Motte entered with a 3-0 count against Ty Wigginton and two men on with one out in the sixth after Jackson was hurt during his 98th pitch, an injury the team described late in the game as a cramp. Wigginton flied out on a full count, and Chris Ianetta hit a comebacker to end the threat.

The Rockies loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against two pitchers and their 4-5 hitters coming up before being thwarted by Octavio Dotel, who struck out Tulowitzki and caught Todd Helton looking on a curveball. The 37-year-old Dotel retired five in a row, four on strikeouts.

“I wasn’t sitting on anything,” Tulowitzki said. “I was relaxed, put a good swing on it. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, it’s just kind of how it’s been.

“We haven’t got that big hit when needed but I love to be up in that situation.”

Molina and Skip Schumaker gave the Cardinals breathing room with run-scoring singles in the seventh off Edgar Gonzalez, making his first major league appearance since Sept. 27, 2009, when he was with Oakland.

Jackson (2-1) has a 4.62 ERA in four starts over 25 1-3 innings with six homers since coming to St. Louis in a deal that sent outfielder Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays. The right-hander needed 37 pitches to get through the first inning but trailed only 2-0 after striking out Ianetta with the bases loaded, and allowed two runs in 5 1-3 innings.

The first four Cardinals to reach base scored against Rogers. But St. Louis left the bases loaded in the third when Rafael Furcal flied out on the first pitch after Rogers walked Jackson and stranded two in the fifth when Skip Schumaker grounded into a double play.

Though Rogers has a 6.00 ERA, he lost for the first time since April 18 against the Giants.

Notes: Furcal turned an exceptional double play at shortstop in the fourth, snaring Ianetta’s grounder behind second, reaching back to tag second and then finishing with a strong relay. … The Cardinals begin a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday night, with Jake Westbrook (9-6, 4.74) facing James McDonald (7-6, 4.24) in the opener. Westbrook has a 75.5 percent ground ball ratio, best in the majors, since joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season. … Kevin Milwood (0-1, 3.86) makes his second start for the Rockies, who return home to face the Marlins and Clay Hensley (1-4, 4.50).

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

Maybe Sunday should be a day of rest for the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies lost their 17th straight Sunday game, falling 6-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night. Albert Pujols hit the longest home run at 6-year-old Busch Stadium and the Cardinals overcame an injury to starter Edwin Jackson with stellar bullpen work.

Colorado won its first two Sunday games against the Pirates and Cubs, but has come up empty since beating Chicago on April 17.

“It’s kind of mind-boggling,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “I don’t think there’s anything to it, it’s just one of those things where it hasn’t worked out.”

Colorado manager Jim Tracy said the difference this Sunday was a lack of clutch hitting. The Rockies were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and 3 for 15 with runners on base.

“The question that I’m trying to make sense out of even more so is those opportunities offensively that have escaped us, where you’ve got multiple runners and you come away with nothing,” Tracy said. “You’ve got people coming up there that you would absolutely want up there in those kinds of scenarios.”

Yadier Molina had three hits, a walk and two RBIs for St. Louis, which took two of three from Colorado. The Cardinals remained five games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee with 42 games to go, six of them against the Brewers.

Mark Ellis homered in the first for the Rockies, who have lost four of five. Esmil Rogers (6-2) issued a career-high seven walks, one intentional, in five innings. Colorado has lost six of seven in St. Louis and trails the series 82-81.

Pujols passed teammate Lance Berkman during a three-hit game with his National League-leading 29th homer in the first, a two-run drive estimated at 465 feet that soared over the visitor’s bulllpen and cleared the left field bleachers. The homer sparked a four-run first that matched the Cardinals’ season best for that inning.

Jason Motte entered with a 3-0 count against Ty Wigginton and two men on with one out in the sixth after Jackson was hurt during his 98th pitch, an injury the team described late in the game as a cramp. Wigginton flied out on a full count, and Chris Ianetta hit a comebacker to end the threat.

The Rockies loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against two pitchers and their 4-5 hitters coming up before being thwarted by Octavio Dotel, who struck out Tulowitzki and caught Todd Helton looking on a curveball. The 37-year-old Dotel retired five in a row, four on strikeouts.

“I wasn’t sitting on anything,” Tulowitzki said. “I was relaxed, put a good swing on it. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, it’s just kind of how it’s been.

“We haven’t got that big hit when needed but I love to be up in that situation.”

Molina and Skip Schumaker gave the Cardinals breathing room with run-scoring singles in the seventh off Edgar Gonzalez, making his first major league appearance since Sept. 27, 2009, when he was with Oakland.

Jackson (2-1) has a 4.62 ERA in four starts over 25 1-3 innings with six homers since coming to St. Louis in a deal that sent outfielder Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays. The right-hander needed 37 pitches to get through the first inning but trailed only 2-0 after striking out Ianetta with the bases loaded, and allowed two runs in 5 1-3 innings.

The first four Cardinals to reach base scored against Rogers. But St. Louis left the bases loaded in the third when Rafael Furcal flied out on the first pitch after Rogers walked Jackson and stranded two in the fifth when Skip Schumaker grounded into a double play.

Though Rogers has a 6.00 ERA, he lost for the first time since April 18 against the Giants.

Notes: Furcal turned an exceptional double play at shortstop in the fourth, snaring Ianetta’s grounder behind second, reaching back to tag second and then finishing with a strong relay. … The Cardinals begin a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday night, with Jake Westbrook (9-6, 4.74) facing James McDonald (7-6, 4.24) in the opener. Westbrook has a 75.5 percent ground ball ratio, best in the majors, since joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season. … Kevin Milwood (0-1, 3.86) makes his second start for the Rockies, who return home to face the Marlins and Clay Hensley (1-4, 4.50).

Andrew N. “Drew” Baur, a member of the St. Louis Cardinals’ ownership group, has died. He was 66.

The team said he died suddenly Sunday morning. A cause of death was not given.

The local bank executive helped organize the original ownership group that bought the Cardinals from Anheuser-Busch in 1996. A lifelong Cardinals fan and native of St. Louis, Baur most recently served as chairman of Southwest Bank of St. Louis.

Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. says “Drew loved the Cardinals and was a great partner.”

ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols repeatedly has said he wants to spend his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Staring at a spring training deadline for contract negotiations, the team chairman remains hopeful the three-time NL MVP will get his wish.

Pujols declined Sunday to provide any kind of update on negotiations. His agent has said he will cut off talks at the start of spring training if an agreement is not in place, and general manager John Mozeliak confirmed the deadline on Saturday.

A representative of Pujols’ agent stood to the slugger’s left and deflected questions on the topic at Sunday’s news conference before the first baseman held a two-hour, sold-out autograph session at the team’s Winter Warmup.

“Do you want to bring all that into the clubhouse all year, like you guys have been doing the last couple of years?” Pujols asked. “No. I respect my teammates more than this contract. That’s why you have to set some deadline on this, and that’s it.”

Neither side would offer a sense of how the talks are going. At one point, Cardinals media relations director Brian Bartow stepped in and said Pujols’ agent had set ground rules for the news conference.

Chairman Bill DeWitt said the Cardinals’ payroll for the coming season projects to “well above $100 million,” which is the highest for the franchise and includes $16 million for Pujols’ option year. DeWitt said Pujols was irreplaceable, both as a talent and as the face of the franchise.

“That’s all wrapped into one. He’s an iconic player because he’s such a great player,” DeWitt said. “He’s proven year in and year out that he’s one of the greatest players to play the game.

“He’s never had a bad year and has lifetime totals that are incredible. You can’t go out and find an Albert Pujols.”

DeWitt said the best word to characterize the Cardinals’ stance was hopeful.

“We want him to be with us,” DeWitt said. “Until something happens one way or another, there’s not a lot to say beyond that.”

Signing free agent Lance Berkman to a $8 million contract signaled a willingness to spend after the Cardinals missed the postseason three of the past four years.

“Sometimes you have to seize the moment, and we did,” DeWitt said. “You go for it.”

Pujols led the National League with 42 homers last season and won his first league RBIs title with 118. He also tied Matt Holliday for the team batting lead at .312.

“If the Cardinals want to say something in the paper and talk about our business, then they can say something,” Pujols said. “Myself, I think I’m more professional than that.

“If we want to get something done, we’ll get it done and everybody’s going to know when we get it done.”

No deal by the start of spring training would not necessarily mean Pujols will be moving on. The Cardinals could sign him after the season and DeWitt expressed confidence that Pujols would not let it affect him on the field.

“If we don’t sign him in the next four weeks, that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a Cardinal,” DeWitt said. “We’d love to sign him tomorrow, or whenever.”

Pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Fla., Feb. 13 with the first workout the following day. The full squad is due into camp by Feb. 18.

“Obviously it’s something the organization probably doesn’t want hanging for the whole season,” Berkman said. “Clearly you’re talking about the best player in baseball, probably the best hitter in the history of baseball. I’m not sure how you go about taming that tiger.”

Pujols noted that speculation regarding his future, and whether the Cardinals are willing to pay top dollar for the three-time NL MVP, has been swirling for several years. The Cardinals have four other players making more than $10 million a year in outfielder Holliday and pitchers Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse.

“You guys have the opportunity to be writing about this over the last two years,” Pujols said. “So what else is there to say? I think everybody knows I want to be a Cardinals and what else is there to say?”

Pujols, who turned 31 on Sunday, has played his entire 10-year career in St. Louis. He was to be honored as co-man of the year along with Wainwright at Sunday night’s dinner for the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Pujols says he is in better shape than in recent seasons when he was hindered by injuries, and excited about the changes the team has made. Pujols underwent surgery on his right elbow after the 2008 and ’09 seasons.

“I feel great,” Pujols said. “Hopefully I can stay healthy all year.”

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

First published on January 17, 2011 at 12:00 am

ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols repeatedly has said he wants to spend his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Staring at a spring training deadline for contract negotiations, the team chairman remains hopeful the three-time NL MVP will get his wish.

Pujols declined Sunday to provide any kind of update on negotiations. His agent has said he will cut off talks at the start of spring training if an agreement is not in place, and general manager John Mozeliak confirmed the deadline on Saturday.

A representative of Pujols’ agent stood to the slugger’s left and deflected questions on the topic at Sunday’s news conference before the first baseman held a two-hour, sold-out autograph session at the team’s Winter Warmup.

“Do you want to bring all that into the clubhouse all year, like you guys have been doing the last couple of years?” Pujols said. “No. I respect my teammates more than this contract.

“That’s why you have to set some deadline on this, and that’s it.”

Neither side would offer a sense of how the talks are going. At one point, Cardinals media relations director Brian Bartow stepped in and said Pujols’ agent had set ground rules for the news conference.

Chairman Bill DeWitt said the Cardinals’ payroll for next season projects to “well above $100 million,” which is the highest ever for the franchise and includes $16 million for Pujols’ option year. DeWitt said Pujols was irreplaceable, both as a talent and as the face of the franchise.

“That’s all wrapped into one. He’s an iconic player because he’s such a great player,” DeWitt said. “He’s proven year in and year out that he’s one of the greatest players to play the game.

“He’s never had a bad year and has lifetime totals that are incredible. You can’t go out and find an Albert Pujols.”

DeWitt said the best word to characterize the Cardinals’ stance was hopeful.

“We want him to be with us,” DeWitt said. “Until something happens one way or another, there’s not a lot to say beyond that.”

Manager Tony La Russa said he’d stay out of the talks.

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“I’m not going to say a word,” La Russa said. “Let them work it out.”

Signing free agent Lance Berkman to a $8 million contract signaled a willingness to spend after the Cardinals missed the postseason three of the last four years.

“Sometimes you have to seize the moment, and we did,” DeWitt said. “You go for it.”

Pujols led the National League with 42 homers last season and won his first league RBI title with 118. He also tied Matt Holliday for the team batting lead at .312.

“If the Cardinals want to say something in the paper and talk about our business, then they can say something,” Pujols said. “Myself I think I’m more professional than that.

“If we want to get something done, we’ll get it done and everybody’s going to know when we get it done.”

No deal by the start of spring training would not necessarily mean Pujols will be moving on. The Cardinals could sign him after next season and DeWitt expressed confidence that Pujols would not let it affect him on the field.

“If we don’t sign him in the next four weeks, that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a Cardinal,” DeWitt said. “We’d love to sign him tomorrow, or whenever.”

Pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 13 with the first workout the following day. The full squad is due into camp by Feb. 18.

“Obviously it’s something the organization probably doesn’t want hanging for the whole season,” Berkman said. “Clearly you’re talking about the best player in baseball, probably the best hitter in the history of baseball.

“I’m not sure how you go about taming that tiger.”

Pujols noted that speculation regarding his future, and whether the Cardinals are willing to pay top dollar for the three-time NL MVP, has been swirling for several years. The Cardinals have four other players making more than $10 million a year in outfielder Holliday and pitchers Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse.

“You guys have the opportunity to be writing about this over the last two years,” Pujols said. “So what else is there to say? I think everybody knows I want to be a Cardinals and what else is there to say?”

The three-time NL MVP, who turned 31 on Sunday, has played his entire 10-year career in St. Louis. Pujols was to be honored as co-man of the year along with Wainwright at Sunday night’s dinner for the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Pujols says he’s in better shape than in recent seasons when he was hindered by injuries, and excited about the changes the team has made. Pujols underwent surgery on his right elbow after the 2008 and ’09 seasons.

“I feel great,” Pujols said. “Hopefully I can stay healthy all year.”