(Sports Network) – Veteran right-hander Jake Westbrook aims for a first career
victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight when the St. Louis Cardinals
host them in the second test of a four-game series at Busch Stadium.

Westbrook has made 259 big-league appearances and recorded 83 victories, but
is 0-3 in seven outings – three starts – against Pittsburgh, allowing 14
earned runs on 26 hits in 23 2/3 innings while striking out 14.

His earned run average against the Pirates is 5.32, nearly a full run higher
than his lifetime mark since he debuted with the New York Yankees in 2000.

Most recently, Westbrook dropped a 6-2 decision at Pittsburgh on Aug. 15 after
allowing five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

He bounced back for a 6-2 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in his
next appearance six days later – reaching 10 wins for the second straight year
and the fifth time in his career.

Westbrook will be opposed by 26-year-old righty James McDonald, who tossed 5
2/3 innings of two-run ball in the defeat of the Cardinals on Aug. 15. The
triumph lifted the California-born McDonald to 2-1 in seven outings against
St. Louis with a 3/05 ERA in 20 2/3 innings.

It was the third win in four decisions as well in a stretch that’s extended
his career-high win total to eight.

McDonald’s previous watermark for victories had been the five he posted with
the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.

The Pirates are 5-5 in his last 10 starts.

In Thursday’s opener to this set, Matt Holliday sealed a win with a three-run
home run in the eighth inning, propelling the Cards to an 8-4 victory.

Allen Craig added two hits and scored twice as St. Louis snapped a three-game
losing streak.

Edwin Jackson (3-2) went six innings, allowing four runs — one earned — on
six hits and three walks for the win.

Charlie Morton (9-7) allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks through 4
1/3 innings in Pittsburgh’s sixth defeat in nine games.

Pittsburgh has split its 10 matchups with the Cardinals this season.

The Sports Network

ST. LOUIS — Jake Westbrook was perfect for 16 straight outs, and then he fell apart. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa blamed the umpire.

Starlin Castro and Marlon Byrd had key hits as the Chicago Cubs broke up Westbrook’s perfect game with a four-run sixth inning and beat the new-look Cardinals 6-3 Sunday night to avoid a three-game sweep.

“I felt strong and was making pitches, I just wasn’t able to make any after that,” Westbrook said. “It hurt us, hurt us big-time.”

Apparently, La Russa was peeved about a 2-2 pitch to Carlos Pena that was called a ball en route to a bases-loaded walk that put the Cubs up 2-0. Westbrook thought it was a strike.

“It was one of those situations where if you don’t shut your mouth you get in trouble,” La Russa said. “But we didn’t deserve the runs we gave up, including some of his.
“And I’m not going any farther with that one, so no use to try to dig for it.”

Lance Berkman’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth made it interesting for the Cardinals, who completed a disappointing 4-3 homestand against the two worst teams in the NL Central. They trail the first-place Brewers by 21/2 games heading into a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday.

“Two out of three from the Cubs is nothing to sneeze at,” Berkman said. “I think if you want to poo-poo the homestand, one of those games against the Astros we should have won, and it would have been three out of four.”

Alfonso Soriano homered for the second straight game and Ryan Dempster (8-8) pitched six-plus innings for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game losing streak and beat the Cardinals for the second time in seven meetings this season.

“We’ll enjoy it for what it was,” Dempster said. “The bullpen did all the work, man. They made some big pitches in some big situations. It was fun to see them do it.”

Soriano homered off Kyle McClellan, moved to the bullpen after the Cardinals acquired Edwin Jackson last week.

Newly acquired Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal got a standing ovation before grounding into a forceout as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, a move that prompted the Cubs to lift Dempster. Ryan Theriot, who lost his starting job because of the trade, had been 6 for 7 in the series before Sean Marshall induced an inning-ending double play with runners on first and third.

Westbrook (9-5) needed only 44 pitches to get through five innings, then labored through 33 pitches in the sixth and left trailing by four. After he retired his first 16 batters, five straight Cubs reached safely with two outs, and Westbrook was done after Chicago batted around.

Westbrook had been 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his first three starts after the All-Star break.

“When Westbrook keeps the ball down like that, he’s tough,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “You really just hope he starts getting the ball up.”

Castro’s RBI double over center fielder Jon Jay’s head put the Cubs ahead. Pena drew a bases-loaded walk before Byrd finished the rally with a two-run single.

Soriano, who hit a three-run homer in the first on Saturday, added a two-run drive for his 17th.

After managing just two hits off Dempster over the first five innings, the Cardinals climbed right back into it in the sixth on Berkman’s league-leading 28th homer to straightaway center.

Carlos Marmol worked the ninth for his 20th save in 27 chances.

Eighth-place hitter Koyie Hill walked on a full count with one out in the sixth for the Cubs’ first baserunner. Dempster’s two-strike sacrifice bunt gave them their first runner in scoring position and Reed Johnson’s sharp single to right with two outs ended the no-hit bid and put runners at the corners.

Daniel Descalso started at shortstop instead of Furcal, fatigued after a day of travel, plus just 6 for 38 for his career against Dempster, and made two exceptional plays early.

Descalso robbed Johnson to start the fourth on a grounder that deflected off third baseman David Freese’s glove, then snared Soriano’s grounder up the middle and made a strong throw to first from the grass to end the fifth.

Notes: The crowd of 43,960 was the Cardinals’ fifth sellout of the season. … Albert Pujols doubled in the sixth and is 17 for 52 (.327) against Dempster with seven homers, 14 RBIs, 11 walks and one strikeout. … The Cardinals have grounded into a major league-high 116 double plays, two in each of the last two games. … The Cubs are 16-29 against the NL Central.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jake Westbrook was perfect for 16 straight outs, and then he fell apart. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa blamed the umpire.

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Starlin Castro and Marlon Byrd had key hits as the Chicago Cubs broke up Westbrook’s perfect game with a four-run sixth inning and beat the new-look Cardinals 6-3 Sunday night to avoid a three-game sweep.

“I felt strong and was making pitches, I just wasn’t able to make any after that,” Westbrook said. “It hurt us, hurt us big-time.”

Apparently, La Russa was peeved about a 2-2 pitch to Carlos Pena that was called a ball en route to a bases-loaded walk that put the Cubs up 2-0. Westbrook thought it was a strike.

“It was one of those situations where if you don’t shut your mouth you get in trouble,” La Russa said. “But we didn’t deserve the runs we gave up, including some of his.

“And I’m not going any farther with that one, so no use to try to dig for it.”

Lance Berkman’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth made it interesting for the Cardinals, who completed a disappointing 4-3 homestand against the two worst teams in the NL Central. They trail the first-place Brewers by 2 1/2 games heading into a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday.

“Two out of three from the Cubs is nothing to sneeze at,” Berkman said. “I think if you want to poo-poo the homestand, one of those games against the Astros we should have won, and it would have been three out of four.”

Alfonso Soriano homered for the second straight game and Ryan Dempster (8-8) pitched six-plus innings for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game losing streak and beat the Cardinals for the second time in seven meetings this season.

“We’ll enjoy it for what it was,” Dempster said. “The bullpen did all the work, man. They made some big pitches in some big situations. It was fun to see them do it.”

Soriano homered off Kyle McClellan, moved to the bullpen after the Cardinals acquired Edwin Jackson last week.

Newly acquired Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal got a standing ovation before grounding into a forceout as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, a move that prompted the Cubs to lift Dempster. Ryan Theriot, who lost his starting job because of the trade, had been 6 for 7 in the series before Sean Marshall induced an inning-ending double play with runners on first and third.

Westbrook (9-5) needed only 44 pitches to get through five innings, then labored through 33 pitches in the sixth and left trailing by four. After he retired his first 16 batters, five straight Cubs reached safely with two outs, and Westbrook was done after Chicago batted around.

Westbrook had been 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his first three starts after the All-Star break.

“When Westbrook keeps the ball down like that, he’s tough,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “You really just hope he starts getting the ball up.”

Castro’s RBI double over center fielder Jon Jay’s head put the Cubs ahead. Pena drew a bases-loaded walk before Byrd finished the rally with a two-run single. Soriano, who hit a three-run homer in the first on Saturday, added a two-run drive for his 17th.

After managing just two hits off Dempster over the first five innings, the Cardinals climbed right back into it in the sixth on Berkman’s league-leading 28th homer to straightaway center.

Carlos Marmol worked the ninth for his 20th save in 27 chances.

Eighth-place hitter Koyie Hill walked on a full count with one out in the sixth for the Cubs’ first baserunner. Dempster’s two-strike sacrifice bunt gave them their first runner in scoring position and Reed Johnson’s sharp single to right with two outs ended the no-hit bid and put runners at the corners.

Daniel Descalso started at shortstop instead of Furcal, fatigued after a day of travel, plus just 6 for 38 for his career against Dempster, and made two exceptional plays early.

Descalso robbed Johnson to start the fourth on a grounder that deflected off third baseman David Freese’s glove, then snared Soriano’s grounder up the middle and made a strong throw to first from the grass to end the fifth.

Notes: The crowd of 43,960 was the Cardinals’ fifth sellout of the season. … Albert Pujols doubled in the sixth and is 17 for 52 (.327) against Dempster with seven homers, 14 RBIs, 11 walks and one strikeout. … The Cardinals have grounded into a major league-high 116 double plays, two in each of the last two games. … The Cubs are 16-29 against the NL Central.

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“The bullpen did all the work, man,” Chicago starter Ryan Dempster said. “They made some big pitches in some big situations. It was fun to see them do it.”

The Cardinals had runners on first and third with none out in the seventh and newly acquired Rafael Furcal pinch-hitting when Cubs manager Mike Quade went to Marshall. Furcal hit into a forceout and another pinch-hitter, Ryan Theriot, grounded into a double play.

Albert Pujols singled with one out in the eighth before Wood, who falls off to the left side, snared Matt Holliday’s grounder up the middle and started another double play.

“It’s become a natural reaction,” Wood said. “He goes up the middle and he hit in the right spot and I got it.”

St. Louis has grounded into 116 double plays, most in the majors.

Starlin Castro and Marlon Byrd had key hits as the Cubs broke up Jake Westbrook’s perfect game with a four-run sixth.

Lance Berkman’s three-run homer in the bottom of the inning made it interesting for the Cardinals, who completed a disappointing 4-3 homestand against the two worst teams in the NL Central. They trail the first-place Brewers by 2½ games heading into a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday.

“Two out of three from the Cubs is nothing to sneeze at,” Berkman said. “I think if you want to poo-poo the homestand, one of those games against the Astros we should have won, and it would have been three out of four.”

Alfonso Soriano homered for the second straight game and Dempster (8-8) pitched six-plus innings for the Cubs, who beat the Cardinals for the second time in seven meetings this season.

Soriano homered off Kyle McClellan, moved to the bullpen after the Cardinals acquired Edwin Jackson last week.

“I was looking for a fastball away and he threw me a cutter and I made a good swing,” Soriano said. “That was a big homer and a big win for us. Now, maybe we can relax a little.”

Furcal got a standing ovation before his pinch-hit appearance. Theriot, who lost his starting job when the Cardinals traded for Furcal, had been 6 for 7 in the series.

Westbrook (9-5) needed only 44 pitches to get through five innings, then labored through 33 pitches in the sixth and left trailing by four. After he retired his first 16 batters, five straight Cubs reached safely with two outs, and Westbrook was done after Chicago batted around.

“I felt strong and was making pitches, I just wasn’t able to make any after that,” Westbrook said. “It hurt us, hurt us big-time.”

Westbrook had been 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his first three starts after the All-Star break.

Castro’s RBI double over center fielder Jon Jay’s head put the Cubs ahead. Carlos Pena drew a bases-loaded walk before Byrd finished the rally with a two-run single. Soriano, who hit a three-run homer in the first on Saturday, added a two-run drive for his 17th.

After managing just two hits off Dempster over the first five innings, the Cardinals climbed right back into it in the sixth on Berkman’s league-leading 28th homer to straightaway center.

Carlos Marmol worked the ninth for his 20th save in 27 chances.

Eighth-place hitter Koyie Hill walked on a full count with one out in the sixth for the Cubs’ first baserunner. Dempster’s two-strike sacrifice bunt gave them their first runner in scoring position and Reed Johnson’s sharp single to right with two outs ended the no-hit bid and put runners at the corners.

Daniel Descalso started at shortstop instead of Furcal, fatigued after a day of travel, plus just 6 for 38 for his career against Dempster, and made two exceptional plays early.

Descalso robbed Johnson to start the fourth on a grounder that deflected off third baseman David Freese’s glove, then snared Soriano’s grounder up the middle and made a strong throw to first from the grass to end the fifth.

Notes: The crowd of 43,960 was the Cardinals’ fifth sellout of the season. … Pujols is 17 for 52 (.327) against Dempster with seven homers, 14 RBIs, 11 walks and one strikeout. … The Cardinals also grounded into two double plays on Saturday. … The Cubs are 16-29 against the NL Central.

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

Jake Westbrook shook off early trouble on the mound and helped his cause with a three-run, tie-breaking double to help the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-4 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

It was the NL-Central leading Cardinals’ fourth straight win. The Astros have lost four in a row.

Westbrook (6-3) gave up a two-run homer to Carlos Lee in the first inning, but didn’t allow another earned run to get his fourth win in a row. His bases-loaded, two-out double off Houston starter Brett Myers made it 5-2 in the fourth inning.

Former Houston star Lance Berkman hit his 13th homer of the season on a two-run shot in the first inning and Albert Pujols homered for the fourth straight game with a solo blast to left field in the eighth.

Fernando Salas allowed one run in two innings for his 11th save.

Myers (2-5) yielded six hits and five runs with four strikeouts in six innings. Houston left 13 runners on base and was 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position until Chris Johnson’s RBI double made it 7-4 in the ninth inning.

Westbrook allowed eight hits and two earned runs while walking three in 5 1-3 innings, but he consistently escaped trouble with Houston runners in scoring position after giving up a two-run home run to Carlos Lee in the first inning that tied the game 2-2.

Westbrook allowed two singles in the sixth before J.R. Towles reached on an error by shortstop Ryan Theriot when the ball rolled between his legs to load the bases. Westbrook was replaced by Jason Motte, who plunked pinch hitter Matt Downs on the right hand to walk in a run and get Houston within 5-3.

Motte settled down after that and was able to limit the damage by striking out Michael Bourn before Clint Barmes grounded into a force out to end the inning.

Berkman returned to the Cardinals lineup after sitting out Sunday following a cortisone shot to the left wrist he injured making a diving catch last month. In his second trip to Houston since a trade last year, the slugger, who spent 12 seasons with the Astros, was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos each time he came to the plate.

Myers allowed consecutive singles to Yadier Molina and Skip Schumaker with two outs in the fourth before intentionally walking Daniel Descalso to load the bases. Then came Westbrook’s line drive three-run double to center field that put St. Louis ahead 5-2.

Myers retired the next seven batters he faced before being replaced by Sergio Escalona, who struck out Descalso before Enerio Del Rosario took over.

Berkman gave the Cardinals the early 2-0 lead with his two-out blast to the bullpen in right center field.

Lee evened it up with his two-out homer to left field in the bottom of the inning. Hunter Pence extended his career-best hitting streak to 18 games with a single to set up Lee’s blast.

Bourn singled with one out in the third inning before a single by Pence with two outs. Westbrook walked Lee to load the bases, but he retired Jeff Keppinger to escape the jam.

The Cardinals walked three Astros to load the bases with no outs in the eighth inning, but Houston came up empty once again when Salas retired the next three batters, striking out two of them.

Theriot had an RBI-double in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 20 games and push the lead to 7-3. It’s the fifth time he’s extended the streak on his last at bat.

Westbrook was 0-2 in three starts against Houston before Tuesday and his three RBIs match his career total in 57 at bats entering Tuesday’s game.

NOTES: St. Louis right fielder Allen Craig bruised his right knee when he crashed into the fence on the right field line chasing a foul ball in the first inning. He was replaced by Jon Jay. … Houston RHP Brandon Lyon, pitched an inning on his rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Manager Brad Mills said Lyon felt good after throwing 10 pitches in the inning. Lyon is on the 15-day DL with right biceps tendinitis and a partial right rotator cuff tear.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—One more pitch, and Brian Wilson(notes) put out the lights for
good.

Nate Schierholtz(notes) delivered a tying single with two outs in the ninth inning
and the go-ahead hit in the 11th, then the San Francisco closer finished off the
St. Louis Cardinals after a 16-minute light failure for a 7-5 victory on
Wednesday night.

“It was a pretty good game of gamesmanship,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy
joked. “I was just hoping it wouldn’t be too long before he got back out there.

“It wasn’t bad, one pitch and we’re done.”

The game was delayed with two outs in the bottom of the 11th when large
sections of two light standards failed. Play resumed with a 2-1 count on Allen
Craig(notes), and Wilson needed one pitch to get a game-ending grounder for his 15th
save in 17 chances.

“That was really awkward, pretty anticlimactic to have the lights go off
like that,” Craig said. “But I guess it’s just part of the game.”

Joe Walsh, the Cardinals’ director of security, said a faulty breaker was
likely to blame. After flipping the circuit breaker, Walsh said umpires were
aware from previous light woes in other stadiums that about 15-20 minutes was
required for the lights to cool down and then return to full power.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had no idea what happened, saying, “Ask the
electrician, I don’t know.”

Cody Ross(notes) had four hits and an RBI and Freddy Sanchez(notes) had a three-hit game
for the Giants, who shook off a poor outing by Tim Lincecum(notes). Sergio Romo(notes) (3-0)
worked the 10th for the win.

San Francisco, which came from behind twice, had a season-high 16 hits and
won for only the third time in nine games.

“Early on balls were kind of finding holes and finding places to land,”
Lincecum said. “Pitchers pride themselves on shutout innings after you get a
lead and I just didn’t do that.

“You have to tip your hat to Craig, he put a pretty good swing on the
pitch.”

Craig’s two-run, pinch-hit homer chased Lincecum in the seventh, putting the
Cardinals up 5-4. The two-time NL Cy Young winner struck out nine but gave up a
career high-tying 10 hits and threw two wild pitches, one of them scoring a run.

“I faced him in college quite a bit and I watched video on him quite a bit
the last few years,” Craig said. “I have an idea what he’s doing, it’s not
like I’ve never faced him before.”

Lincecum was 3-1 with a 1.22 ERA in May, allowing only six earned runs in 36
2-3 innings. Before fading in the seventh he had retired eight of nine batters,
five on strikeouts with the lone runner on a hit batsman and the pinch homer was
the first he’s allowed in his career.

Schierholtz and Brandon Crawford(notes) had RBI singles in the 11th off Ryan
Franklin(notes) (1-4), pitching on the second straight night and in his second inning.
Ryan Theriot(notes) had two hits and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to a
career-best 15 games for St. Louis, which gave Jake Westbrook(notes) a 3-0 lead in the
fourth.

Bochy said he’s gaining confidence in Schierholtz.

“His playing time has increased and it will now with the game he had and
the way he’s been playing,” Bochy said. “That’s what we’re looking for, a shot
in the arm.”

Aubrey Huff’s(notes) homer off Miguel Batista(notes) ended a 6-for-38 slump and put the
Giants ahead 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

Craig is 18 for 40 (.450) since May 19 and is 5 for 11 with a home run,
three doubles and four RBIs in the first three games of a four-game series. He
and Jon Jay(notes) should both garner more playing time with Matt Holliday(notes) set to go on
the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a nagging quadriceps injury.

Lincecum walked on five pitches to load the bases in the fourth after the
Cardinals elected to intentionally walk eighth-place hitter Eli Whiteside(notes).
Westbrook escaped by striking out Andres Torres(notes), giving the Giants seven
stranded runners the first four innings.

Westbrook’s only clean inning was the fifth, but the Giants opened the sixth
with three straight hits and a sacrifice fly and chased him on Torres’ two-out
RBI double. Torres had been an easy out his first three at-bats with two
strikeouts and a groundout to first.

“I think I got him on the previous three at-bats with all changeups,”
Westbrook said. “I guess bad location. That can’t happen, you can’t let them
back in the ballgame.”

Theriot had an RBI single in the third and the Cardinals made it 3-0 in the
fourth on a wild pitch and Skip Schumaker’s(notes) single that barely eluded both
middle infielders.

NOTES: The Giants’ Class A affiliate in San Jose set a team record with its
12th straight victory Tuesday. … Pat Burrell(notes), in a 4-for-25 slump, fouled out
as a pinch-hitter on a 3-0 pitch in the eighth. He’s started only eight of the
Giants’ last 22 games. … Lincecum has given up 10 hits three times, the
previous time on May 15, 2009 against the New York Mets. … Huff leads the
Giants with 24 RBIs but has only four in the last 17 games and had been batting
only .175 against right-handers, among the worst in the league, before the
homer. … Lincecum threw one wild pitch his first 11 starts. … The Giants are
6-3 in extra innings and 2-0 against St. Louis.

DENVER (Reuters) – The St. Louis Cardinals offense erupted for seven runs over the final four innings to crush the Colorado Rockies 10-3 at Coors Field Friday.

Colby Rasmus led the Cardinals 19-hit onslaught with two triples among four hits driving in three runs and scoring twice.

The Rockies tied at 3-3 in the third inning and had the bases loaded with one out, but Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook struck out Ty Wigginton and Ryan Spillborgh hit a soft grounder for the third out.

Westbrook and four relievers then combined to no-hit the Rockies over the final six innings.

Ubaldo Jimenez remains winless (0-5) this season as he allowed six runs on 12 hits in six innings while striking out four.

Albert Pujols drove in the Cardinals first two runs and scored to provide the early offense for St. Louis and catcher Yadier Molina also had two RBI’s.

(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario. Editing by Alastair Himmer)

By Dan Moore

– Managing Editor

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May 22, 2011 – Matt Holliday, acting as designated hitter in the Cardinals’ first scheduled interleague slate, hit a long home run into the Kaufman Stadium fountains to put the St. Louis Cardinals up by a score of 2-0 after seven innings of tie baseball, and it was all Jake Westbrook would need Saturday afternoon as the Cardinals beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0. Albert Pujols went 1-3 and Allen Craig had two hits in support of Westbrook, who threw eight scoreless innings before handing the ball to Fernando Salas, who recorded his sixth save of the 2011 season. The Cardinals improve to 27-20 with the win, while the Royals fall under .500 with a 22-23 record.

Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer had hits for the Royals, who made 11 groundouts against Westbrook’s famously heavy sinker. Nathan Adcock, a rookie making his first career start, went five scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just one walk to pick up the no-decision, while diminutive flamethrower Tim Collins picked up the loss, his second of the year. 

The Cardinals and the Royals close out their series Sunday afternoon, when Jaime Garcia is set to take on Sean O’Sullivan. Garcia is 5-0 with an ERA of just 1.64 in the first month-and-a-half of his sophomore season. 

Read More: Jake Westbrook (P – STL), Matt Holliday (LF – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), Allen Craig (LF – STL), Fernando Salas (P – STL), Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—For Jake Westbrook(notes) 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(notes) to pound a grounder right back to the mound.
Westbrook reacted quickly and threw to catcher Yadier Molina(notes) 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(notes) snapped a scoreless tie in the eighth with a two-run home run
off Blake Wood(notes), 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(notes) and Melky Cabrera(notes). Pitching delicately to Eric Hosmer(notes), 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(notes), who made a
good stop of Billy Butler’s(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) singled off Tim Collins(notes) (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(notes) 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(notes).
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(notes) 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(notes) struck out.

Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) 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.