ST. LOUIS — No worries about offense on Matt Holliday’s day off. The St. Louis Cardinals had plenty of it without their cleanup hitter.
Albert Pujols’ two-run home run in the fifth inning began a barrage of four home runs in a span of six at-bats and Blake Hawksworth survived a rocky start in the Cardinals’ 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.
They didn’t need Holliday, who got a day off.
“That was something you didn’t see too much in the first half, but we knew it was coming around,” Pujols said. “Hopefully we can continue to swing the bats the way we are, and play defense, too.”
Rookie Allen Craig added his first career home run and Skip Schumaker hit his third of the season in a five-run fifth against Kyle Kendrick. Randy Winn led off the sixth with a pinch-hit shot off Chad Durbin. The four-home run game tied a season best for the NL Central leaders, who have won a season-high six in a row and are a season-best 11 games over .500 (52-41).
Kendrick (5-4) gave up seven runs in five innings, surrendering a 4-2 lead as the Phillies lost for the fourth time in five games. Ryan Howard, who grew up in suburban St. Louis, had two hits and an RBI and is a .382 hitter with 7 home runs and 30 RBI in 18 games at 5-year-old Busch Stadium.
Kendrick had been 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in five previous starts against the Cardinals, including seven shutout innings May 5 in Philadelphia, a game in which Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa joked, “We couldn’t hit the ball past the pitcher.”
Jon Jay doubled for the second time for an RBI before Pujols hit his 22nd home run and first since the All-Star break for a 5-4 lead. Pujols also doubled and had a run-scoring groundout.
The three-home run inning was the Cardinals’ first since June 19, 2009.
Hawksworth (4-5) gave up five hits and needed 32 pitches to get out of the first, but scattered five hits the next five innings.
MARLINS 9, ROCKIES 8
Pinch hitter Donnie Murphy hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning to lead host Florida past Colorado. All-Star starter Ubaldo Jimenez departed trailing after his shortest outing of the season, but Jonathan Herrera hit his first career home run to put the Rockies ahead 8-7 in the eighth inning. After Rockies closer Huston Street (1-2) retired the first two batters in the ninth, Dan Uggla walked. Murphy - batting for only the fourth time this season - homered on a 1-0 pitch.
REDS 7, NATIONALS 2
Johnny Cueto pitched six innings around a rain delay and drove home two runs for host Cincinnati and Washington was shut out for the second consecutive game. Cueto (9-2) had a two-run single and Jonny Gomes and Miguel Cairo added home runs.
BREWERS 3, PIRATES 1
Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks hit home runs for the second consecutive game for visiting Milwaukee and Chris Capuano (1-1) won for the first time in more than three years, breaking a franchise record 13-game losing streak. Capuano, who missed the past two seasons recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery, hadn’t won since May 13, 2007.
ASTROS 11, CUBS 5
Jason Castro hit a three-run home run and Carlos Lee had a tworun double in Houston’s five-run first inning in a victory over host Chicago. Wandy Rodriguez (7-11) gave up five runs in six innings but earned the victory because the Astros spotted him an 8-0 lead.
American League RAYS 8, ORIOLES 1
Rookie Wade Davis (7-9) allowed one run over eight innings and Evan Longoria had two hits during a seven-run third inning in Tampa Bay’s victory over host Baltimore.
ROYALS 5, BLUE JAYS 4
Alberto Callaspo’s RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning helped host Kansas City snap a six-game losing streak.
Monday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 3, Pittsburgh 1 St. Louis 8, Philadelphia 4 Florida 9, Colorado 8 Cincinnati 7, Washington 2 Houston 11, Chicago Cubs 5 NY Mets at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.
San Francisco at LA Dodgers, (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 8, Baltimore 1 Texas 8, Detroit 6, 14 innings Cleveland 10, Minnesota 4 Kansas City 5, Toronto 4, 10 innings Boston at Oakland, (n) Chicago White Sox at Seattle, (n)
Sports, Pages 18 on 07/20/2010