ST. LOUIS — Nothing was working for Jake Westbrook, a ground-ball pitcher who gave up three sacrifice flies Thursday.
No worries with the St. Louis Cardinals offense totaling 17 hits against a team that’s just changed managers.
David Freese’s three-run home run snapped the team’s sevengame home run drought and Matt Holliday’s three-run double was the go-ahead blow as St. Louis beat the Houston Astros 13-5 to complete a three-game sweep.
“I was in trouble the whole day, really,” Westbrook said. “Our offense came through and really picked me up. Picked this team up.”
Freese and Matt Holliday each had four RBI and Allen Craig had three hits and three RBI. The Cardinals shrugged aside a 4-0, fourth-inning deficit and sent Houston to its seventh consecutive loss.
“This team, they get the blood in the water and they can pile them on,” Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny said.
The Astros are 0-4 while getting outscored 32-8 since interim manager Tony DeFrancesco replaced Brad Mills as leader of the stripped-down roster. Houston has won just seven of its past 50 overall.
“We got 11 hits and some of the guys got some big days, so there is some life,” DeFrancesco said. “Unfortunately, once the game gets out of hand it’s tough for our guys to continue to bounce back after they’ve been getting beat on for a while.”
Ben Francisco had three hits for the Astros, who were swept for the third time this month and 12th overall.
Westbrook (13-9) won for the fourth time in five starts despite struggles with control two days after getting a new contract for next season with a mutual option for 2014.
Westbrook surrendered 5 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batters in five innings, ending a string of 13 consecutive starts of at least six innings.
Astros rookie left-hander and former Arkansas Razorback Dallas Keuchel (1-6) retired 11 of the first 12 batters, but six of his last seven reached base, one on an error. He earned his first career RBI on a sacrifice fly in the second, but was charged with five earned runs in four-plus innings.
“I felt good today, thought it was going to be another quality start,” Keuchel said. “That fifth inning kind of unraveled things.”
ROCKIES 1, METS 0 Collin McHugh pitched two-hit ball over seven scoreless innings for the Mets in his major league debut, but visiting Colorado completed its second consecutive four-game sweep of New York as Jordany Valdespin misplayed Tyler Colvin’s leadoff drive in the eighth into a game-changing triple. Colorado tied a season high with its fifth consecutive victory and completed its second four-game sweep in two years at Citi Field. McHugh, a 25-year-old right-hander, had nine strikeouts and one walk. But after he left, the Rockies broke through quickly off Bobby Parnell (2-3).
PHILLIES 4, REDS 3 John Mayberry Jr. hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift host Philadelphia to a victory over Cincinnati.
American League
TIGERS 3, BLUE JAYS 2 Alex Avila’s RBI single with two outs in the 11th gave host Detroit a victory over Toronto, one inning after center fielder Austin Jackson kept the game tied with a standout catch. The Blue Jays had a runner on second in the 10th when Anthony Gose lifted what looked like a sure hit to the gap in rightcenter. But Jackson raced over and made a diving catch. With runners on first and second in the 11th, Avila singled to right off Chad Jenkins (0-1). Gose played the ball on a hop and couldn’t throw out pinch-runner Quintin Berry at home.
ANGELS 14, RED SOX 13 Kendrys Morales led off Los Angeles’ two-run 10th inning with a home run, and visiting Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of Boston.
RANGERS 10, TWINS 6 Josh Hamilton had five RBI and Mitch Moreland doubled in the goahead run during a six-run eighth inning that carried host Texas to a victory over Minnesota.
RAYS 5, ATHLETICS 0 Alex Cobb (8-8) pitched a four-hitter for his first major league shutout and surging Tampa Bay beat visiting Oakland.
Thursday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado 1, NY Mets 0 St. Louis 13, Houston 5 Philadelphia 4, Cincinnati 3 (11) Atlanta at San Francisco (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 3, Toronto 2 (11) LA Angels 14, Boston 13 (10) Tampa Bay 5, Oakland 0 Texas 10, Minnesota 6
Sports, Pages 20 on 08/24/2012