GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: ST LOUIS (23-30) at HOUSTON (23-32)

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: J Lane hit for T Miller.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, L SCOTT ON FIRST, C LEE ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: ST LOUIS 8
HOUSTON 6 BOTTOM, 10TH

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: J Lane (.167, 4 HR, 10 RBI)</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- - - - - - - - -
ST LOUIS 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0
HOUSTON 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0

10 R H E
-- - - -
ST LOUIS 3 8 11 0
HOUSTON 1 6 11 0 (FINAL 10)

BATTERIES: STL - BRADEN LOOPER, RANDY FLORES (7TH), RYAN FRANKLIN (7TH), JASON
ISRINGHAUSEN (9TH) AND GARY BENNETT

HOU - JASON JENNINGS, DAVE BORKOWSKI (7TH), CHAD QUALLS
(8TH), DAN WHEELER (9TH), TREVER MILLER (10TH) AND ERIC
MUNSON, BRAD AUSMUS (10TH)

HOME RUNS: STL - DAVID ECKSTEIN (2) OFF JASON JENNINGS IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
JUAN ENCARNACION (2) OFF JASON JENNINGS IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
ALBERT PUJOLS (10) OFF CHAD QUALLS IN THE 8TH, 0 ON
SO TAGUCHI (2) OFF DAN WHEELER IN THE 10TH, 0 ON
ALBERT PUJOLS (11) OFF DAN WHEELER IN THE 10TH, 1 ON

HOU - HUNTER PENCE (5) OFF RYAN FRANKLIN IN THE 8TH, 0 ON
MARK LORETTA (1) OFF JASON ISRINGHAUSEN IN THE 10TH, 0 ON</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- - - - - - - - -
ST LOUIS 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0
HOUSTON 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0

10 R H E
-- - - -
ST LOUIS 3 8 11 0
HOUSTON 1 6 11 0 (FINAL 10)

BATTERIES: STL - BRADEN LOOPER, RANDY FLORES (7TH), RYAN FRANKLIN (7TH), JASON
ISRINGHAUSEN (9TH) AND GARY BENNETT

HOU - JASON JENNINGS, DAVE BORKOWSKI (7TH), CHAD QUALLS
(8TH), DAN WHEELER (9TH), TREVER MILLER (10TH) AND ERIC
MUNSON, BRAD AUSMUS (10TH)


WP - JASON ISRINGHAUSEN (2-0)
LP - DAN WHEELER (0-2)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: STL - DAVID ECKSTEIN (2) OFF JASON JENNINGS IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
JUAN ENCARNACION (2) OFF JASON JENNINGS IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
ALBERT PUJOLS (10) OFF CHAD QUALLS IN THE 8TH, 0 ON
SO TAGUCHI (2) OFF DAN WHEELER IN THE 10TH, 0 ON
ALBERT PUJOLS (11) OFF DAN WHEELER IN THE 10TH, 1 ON

HOU - HUNTER PENCE (5) OFF RYAN FRANKLIN IN THE 8TH, 0 ON
MARK LORETTA (1) OFF JASON ISRINGHAUSEN IN THE 10TH, 0 ON


TIME: 3:01 ATT: 40,483

PROBABLES: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ (2-5, 4.53)
COL - JASON HIRSH (2-5, 5.10)

PROBABLES: CIN - AARON HARANG (6-2, 4.22)
STL - TODD WELLEMEYER (1-0, 3.86)</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">ST LOUIS (8) VS HOUSTON (6) - FINAL IN 10 INNINGS

ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 5 2 2 1 0 0 1 .284
S Spiezio 3b 5 1 2 0 0 1 1 .279
A Pujols 1b 5 2 2 3 0 0 1 .292
J Edmonds cf 5 0 1 1 0 1 0 .239
J Encarnacion rf 4 1 1 1 0 1 1 .231
R Ludwick lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .246
J Isringhausen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G Bennett c 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 .254
B Ryan 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
a-A Miles ph-2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261
B Looper p 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143
R Flores p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R Franklin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S Taguchi lf 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .258

Totals 40 8 11 8 0 6 6

a-grounded to shortstop for B Ryan in the 10th.

BATTING: 2B - R Ludwick (4, J Jennings); G Bennett (3, J Jennings); S Spiezio
(8, J Jennings). HR - D Eckstein (2, 1st inning off J Jennings 0 on, 0 Out), J
Encarnacion (2, 5th inning off J Jennings 0 on, 0 Out), A Pujols 2 (11, 8th
inning off C Qualls 0 on, 2 Out, 10th inning off D Wheeler 1 on, 2 Out), S
Taguchi (2, 10th inning off D Wheeler 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - D Eckstein (10), J
Encarnacion (8), G Bennett (9), J Edmonds (20), A Pujols 3 (31), S Taguchi (8).
2-out RBI - A Pujols 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - D Eckstein 1.
GIDP - A Pujols. Team LOB - 2.

FIELDING: Outfield assists - J Encarnacion (L Berkman at 2nd base). DP: 1 (D
Eckstein-B Ryan-A Pujols).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Loretta 2b-3b 5 1 1 2 0 0 1 .328
M Lamb 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .264
C Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C Biggio 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .234
H Pence cf 5 1 4 2 0 0 0 .375
C Lee lf 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 .313
L Scott rf 4 1 1 0 1 1 1 .232
M Ensberg 3b 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 .234
D Wheeler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-J Lane ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .165
E Munson c 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .286
B Ausmus c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .236
A Everett ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .218
J Jennings p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-O Palmeiro ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .175
D Borkowski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-L Berkman ph-1b 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 .238

Totals 40 6 11 6 1 1 11

a-singled to center for J Jennings in the 6th; b-grounded into fielder's
choice to third for D Borkowski in the 7th; c-flied out to right for T Miller
in the 10th.

BATTING: 2B - L Scott (11, B Looper). HR - H Pence (5, 8th inning off R
Franklin 0 on, 0 Out), M Loretta (1, 10th inning off J Isringhausen 0 on, 0
Out). S - A Everett. RBI - H Pence 2 (23), M Ensberg (15), L Berkman (30), M
Loretta 2 (13). 2-out RBI - H Pence. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out -
J Lane 1, C Lee 1, L Scott 1. GIDP - E Munson. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - H Pence (5, 2nd base off B Looper/G Bennett).

FIELDING: DP: 1 (M Ensberg-M Loretta-M Lamb).


----------------------------------------------------
ST LOUIS - 100 021 010 3 -- 8
HOUSTON - 000 001 310 1 -- 6
----------------------------------------------------

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 6 7 3 3 0 1 0 3.72
R Flores (H, 5) 1/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 4.05
R Franklin (B, 2) 1 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 1 1.50
J Isringhausen (W, 2-0) 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 1.64

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
J Jennings 6 7 4 4 0 2 2 3.13
D Borkowski 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.37
C Qualls 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 4.55
D Wheeler (L, 0-2) 1 2/3 3 3 3 0 3 2 4.85
T Miller 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.75

B Looper pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

Pitches-strikes: B Looper 87-52; R Flores 4-4; R Franklin 18-12; J
Isringhausen 25-14; J Jennings 80-50; D Borkowski 11-8; C Qualls 17-11; D
Wheeler 34-24; T Miller 4-3. Ground balls-fly balls: B Looper 13-4; R Flores
2-0; R Franklin 3-2; J Isringhausen 2-4; J Jennings 7-9; D Borkowski 2-1; C
Qualls 2-1; D Wheeler 2-0; T Miller 0-0. Batters faced: B Looper 24; R Flores
3; R Franklin 6; J Isringhausen 9; J Jennings 24; D Borkowski 3; C Qualls 4; D
Wheeler 8; T Miller 1.

UMPIRES: HP--Adrian Johnson. 1B--Jim Reynolds. 2B--Gary Cederstrom. 3B--Lance
Barksdale.

T--3:01. Att--40,483.
Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
ST LOUIS 8
HOUSTON 6 FINAL</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ST LOUIS (8) AT HOUSTON (6) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein homered to left. S Spiezio flied out to right.
A Pujols flied out to center. J Edmonds grounded out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 5TH: J Encarnacion homered to left. R Ludwick doubled to deep
right center. G Bennett doubled to deep right, R Ludwick scored. B Ryan
struck out swinging. B Looper grounded out to pitcher, G Bennett to third.
D Eckstein flied out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 3, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 6TH: S Spiezio doubled to deep right. A Pujols flied out to
center, S Spiezio to third. J Edmonds singled to right, S Spiezio scored.
J Encarnacion lined out to shortstop. R Ludwick popped out to shortstop.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 6TH: O Palmeiro hit for J Jennings. O Palmeiro singled to center.
M Loretta bunt grounded out to pitcher, O Palmeiro to second. M Lamb grounded
out to first, O Palmeiro to third. H Pence singled to center, O Palmeiro
scored. H Pence stole second. C Lee grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 7TH: L Scott doubled to right. M Ensberg singled to right, L Scott
scored. R Flores relieved B Looper. E Munson singled to right center,
M Ensberg to second. A Everett sacrificed into fielder's choice to third,
M Ensberg to third, E Munson to second. L Berkman hit for D Borkowski.
L Berkman grounded into fielder's choice to third, M Ensberg scored, A Everett
out at second, E Munson to third. R Franklin relieved R Flores. M Loretta
grounded into fielder's choice to right, E Munson scored, L Berkman out at
second. M Lamb grounded out to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4,
HOUSTON 4.

ST LOUIS 8TH: C Qualls relieved D Borkowski. L Berkman at first base.
D Eckstein fouled out to first. S Spiezio grounded out to second. A Pujols
homered to right. J Edmonds grounded out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 4.

HOUSTON 8TH: H Pence homered to center. C Lee flied out to right. L Scott
grounded out to second. M Ensberg flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 5.

ST LOUIS 10TH: B Ausmus catching. A Miles hit for B Ryan. A Miles grounded
out to shortstop. S Taguchi homered to left. D Eckstein reached on infield
single to third. S Spiezio struck out swinging. A Pujols homered to left
center, D Eckstein scored. T Miller relieved D Wheeler. J Edmonds struck out
swinging. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 5.

HOUSTON 10TH: A Miles at second base. M Loretta homered to left. C Biggio
flied out to center. H Pence reached on infield single to pitcher. C Lee
grounded into fielder's choice to second, H Pence out at second. L Scott
walked, C Lee to second. J Lane hit for T Miller. J Lane flied out to right.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 6.</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ST LOUIS (8) AT HOUSTON (6) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein homered to left. S Spiezio flied out to right.
A Pujols flied out to center. J Edmonds grounded out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 5TH: J Encarnacion homered to left. R Ludwick doubled to deep
right center. G Bennett doubled to deep right, R Ludwick scored. B Ryan
struck out swinging. B Looper grounded out to pitcher, G Bennett to third.
D Eckstein flied out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 3, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 6TH: S Spiezio doubled to deep right. A Pujols flied out to
center, S Spiezio to third. J Edmonds singled to right, S Spiezio scored.
J Encarnacion lined out to shortstop. R Ludwick popped out to shortstop.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 6TH: O Palmeiro hit for J Jennings. O Palmeiro singled to center.
M Loretta bunt grounded out to pitcher, O Palmeiro to second. M Lamb grounded
out to first, O Palmeiro to third. H Pence singled to center, O Palmeiro
scored. H Pence stole second. C Lee grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 7TH: L Scott doubled to right. M Ensberg singled to right, L Scott
scored. R Flores relieved B Looper. E Munson singled to right center,
M Ensberg to second. A Everett sacrificed into fielder's choice to third,
M Ensberg to third, E Munson to second. L Berkman hit for D Borkowski.
L Berkman grounded into fielder's choice to third, M Ensberg scored, A Everett
out at second, E Munson to third. R Franklin relieved R Flores. M Loretta
hit into fielder's choice to right, E Munson scored, L Berkman out at second.
M Lamb grounded out to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4,
HOUSTON 4.

ST LOUIS 8TH: C Qualls relieved D Borkowski. L Berkman at first base.
D Eckstein fouled out to first. S Spiezio grounded out to second. A Pujols
homered to right. J Edmonds grounded out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 4.

HOUSTON 8TH: H Pence homered to center. C Lee flied out to right. L Scott
grounded out to second. M Ensberg flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 5.

ST LOUIS 10TH: B Ausmus catching. A Miles hit for B Ryan. A Miles grounded
out to shortstop. S Taguchi homered to left. D Eckstein reached on infield
single to third. S Spiezio struck out swinging. A Pujols homered to left
center, D Eckstein scored. T Miller relieved D Wheeler. J Edmonds struck out
swinging. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 5.

HOUSTON 10TH: A Miles at second base. M Loretta homered to left. C Biggio
flied out to center. H Pence reached on infield single to pitcher. C Lee
grounded into fielder's choice to second, H Pence out at second. L Scott
walked, C Lee to second. J Lane hit for T Miller. J Lane flied out to right.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 6.</div>

 

NL: ST LOUIS at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ST LOUIS (8) AT HOUSTON (6) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

St Louis Starting Lineups -- D Eckstein SS, S Spiezio 3B, A Pujols 1B,
J Edmonds CF, J Encarnacion RF, R Ludwick LF, G Bennett C, B Ryan 2B, B Looper RHP.

Houston Starting Lineups -- M Loretta 2B, M Lamb 1B, H Pence CF, C Lee LF,
L Scott RF, M Ensberg 3B, E Munson C, A Everett SS, J Jennings RHP.

Umpires -- Adrian Johnson (HP), Jim Reynolds (1B), Gary Cederstrom (2B),
Lance Barksdale (3B).

Gametime Weather: INDOORS.


ST LOUIS 1ST: D Eckstein homered to left. S Spiezio flied out to right.
A Pujols flied out to center. J Edmonds grounded out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 1ST: M Loretta grounded out to third. M Lamb fouled out to third.
H Pence singled to left. C Lee grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 2ND: J Encarnacion grounded out to third. R Ludwick popped out to
second. G Bennett struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1,
HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 2ND: L Scott struck out swinging. M Ensberg flied out to left.
E Munson grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1,
HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 3RD: B Ryan flied out to center. B Looper grounded out to
shortstop. D Eckstein grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 3RD: A Everett grounded out to third. J Jennings grounded out
to first. M Loretta lined out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 4TH: S Spiezio singled to right. A Pujols grounded into double
play, third to second to first, S Spiezio out at second. J Edmonds flied out
to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 4TH: M Lamb singled to center. H Pence grounded out to third,
M Lamb to second. C Lee grounded out to third. L Scott grounded out to
first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 1, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 5TH: J Encarnacion homered to left. R Ludwick doubled to deep
right center. G Bennett doubled to deep right, R Ludwick scored. B Ryan
struck out swinging. B Looper grounded out to pitcher, G Bennett to third.
D Eckstein flied out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 3, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 5TH: M Ensberg singled to left. E Munson grounded into double
play, shortstop to second to first, M Ensberg out at second. A Everett popped
out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 3, HOUSTON 0.

ST LOUIS 6TH: S Spiezio doubled to deep right. A Pujols flied out to
center, S Spiezio to third. J Edmonds singled to right, S Spiezio scored.
J Encarnacion lined out to shortstop. R Ludwick popped out to shortstop.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 6TH: O Palmeiro hit for J Jennings. O Palmeiro singled to center.
M Loretta bunt grounded out to pitcher, O Palmeiro to second. M Lamb grounded
out to first, O Palmeiro to third. H Pence singled to center, O Palmeiro
scored. H Pence stole second. C Lee grounded out to shortstop. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 1.

ST LOUIS 7TH: D Borkowski relieved J Jennings. G Bennett flied out to
right. B Ryan grounded out to shortstop. B Looper grounded out to pitcher.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 7TH: L Scott doubled to right. M Ensberg singled to right, L Scott
scored. R Flores relieved B Looper. E Munson singled to right center,
M Ensberg to second. A Everett sacrificed into fielder's choice to third,
M Ensberg to third, E Munson to second. L Berkman hit for D Borkowski.
L Berkman grounded into fielder's choice to third, M Ensberg scored, A Everett
out at second, E Munson to third. R Franklin relieved R Flores. M Loretta
hit into fielder's choice to right, E Munson scored, L Berkman out at second.
M Lamb grounded out to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 4, HOUSTON 4.

ST LOUIS 8TH: C Qualls relieved D Borkowski. L Berkman at first base.
D Eckstein fouled out to first. S Spiezio grounded out to second. A Pujols
homered to right. J Edmonds grounded out to second. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 4.

HOUSTON 8TH: H Pence homered to center. C Lee flied out to right. L Scott
grounded out to second. M Ensberg flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 5.

ST LOUIS 9TH: M Loretta at third base. C Biggio at second base. D Wheeler
relieved C Qualls. J Encarnacion struck out looking. R Ludwick struck out
swinging. G Bennett grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 5.

HOUSTON 9TH: J Isringhausen relieved R Franklin. S Taguchi in left field.
E Munson grounded out to first. A Everett flied out to left. L Berkman
flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 5, HOUSTON 5.

ST LOUIS 10TH: B Ausmus catching. A Miles hit for B Ryan. A Miles grounded
out to shortstop. S Taguchi homered to left. D Eckstein reached on infield
single to third. S Spiezio struck out swinging. A Pujols homered to left
center, D Eckstein scored. T Miller relieved D Wheeler. J Edmonds struck out
swinging. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 5.

HOUSTON 10TH: A Miles at second base. M Loretta homered to left. C Biggio
flied out to center. H Pence reached on infield single to pitcher. C Lee
grounded into fielder's choice to second, H Pence out at second. L Scott
walked, C Lee to second. J Lane hit for T Miller. J Lane flied out to right.
(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 6.</div>

 

Taguchi, Pujols blast Cardinals past Astros

<h3>ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 6 (10 INNINGS)</h3>HOUSTON (Ticker) -- So Taguchi has never been renowned as apower hitter. The same cannot be said for Albert Pujols.

Taguchi ripped a go-ahead solo home run in the 10th inning andPujols crushed two homers - including a mammoth two-run blast inthe 10th - to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-6 triumphover the Houston Astros.

It was the fourth victory in the last five games for theCardinals, who concluded a seven-game road trip.

Pujols crushed his first homer of the contest in the eighthinning Sunday to give St. Louis a 5-4 lead. But Houston forgeda 5-5 tie in the bottom of the frame when rookie Hunter Penceled off with a solo homer against righthander Ryan Franklin.

Inserted into the contest as a defensive replacement in theninth inning, Taguchi made some noise with his bat in the 10th,hooking Dan Wheeler's first pitch off the foul pole in leftfield to give the Cardinals a 6-5 advantage.

It was just the second homer of the season for Taguchi, whobelted his first blast of the campaign Monday. But prior tothat contest, Taguchi had not homered in a regular-season gamesince June 21, 2006.

Pujols, on the other hand, has made a career of going deep,surpassing the 40-homer mark each of the last four seasons andcrushing at least 34 homers in his first six campaigns.

A former MVP and five-time All-Star, Pujols provided valuableinsurance against Wheeler (0-2) later in the 10th inning. AfterDavid Eckstein singled and Scott Spiezio struck out, Pujolshammers Wheeler's 3-2 offering off the facade in left-centerfield to give St. Louis an 8-5 edge.

It was the second multi-homer game this season and 18th careerfor Pujols, who leads the Cardinals with 11 blasts this season.Eckstein and Juan Encarnacion also homered for St. Louis, whichimproved to 6-3 this season against Houston.

Jason Isringhausen (2-0) worked the last two innings to recordthe win while Spiezio added two hits for St. Louis.

Cardinals starter Braden Looper worked six innings, allowingthree runs and seven hits with no walks and one strikeout.

Pence had four hits and Morgan Ensberg added a pair for theAstros, who have lost 14 of their last 17 contests.

 

Taguchi, Pujols blast Cardinals past Astros

<h3>ST LOUIS 8, HOUSTON 6 (10 INNINGS)</h3>HOUSTON (Ticker) -- So Taguchi has never been renowned as apower hitter. The same cannot be said for Albert Pujols.

Taguchi ripped a go-ahead solo home run in the 10th inning andPujols crushed two homers - including a mammoth two-run blast inthe 10th - to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-6 triumphover the Houston Astros.

It was the fourth victory in the last five games for theCardinals, who concluded a seven-game road trip.

Pujols crushed his first homer of the contest in the eighthinning Sunday to give St. Louis a 5-4 lead. But Houston forgeda 5-5 tie in the bottom of the frame when rookie Hunter Penceled off with a solo homer against righthander Ryan Franklin.

Inserted into the contest as a defensive replacement in theninth inning, Taguchi made some noise with his bat in the 10th,hooking Dan Wheeler's first pitch off the foul pole in leftfield to give the Cardinals a 6-5 advantage.

"The thing about So, he's proven that ever since he came intothe big leagues that he's not intimidated by late-gamesituations," Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said. "He'll giveyou a great at-bat, make a great play, run the bases. He isvery cool under pressure."

It was just the second homer of the season for Taguchi, whobelted his first blast of the campaign Monday. But prior tothat contest, Taguchi had not homered in a regular-season gamesince June 21, 2006.

Pujols, on the other hand, has made a career of going deep,surpassing the 40-homer mark each of the last four seasons andcrushing at least 34 homers in his first six campaigns. Henearly hit four homers in this game alone, twice belting shots425 feet to "Tal's Hill" in center field, where Pence caughtthem.

A former MVP and five-time All-Star, Pujols provided valuableinsurance against Wheeler (0-2) later in the 10th inning. AfterDavid Eckstein singled and Scott Spiezio struck out, Pujolshammers Wheeler's 3-2 offering off the facade in left-centerfield to give St. Louis an 8-5 edge.

"I've just tried to take what they give me and not be toogreedy," Pujols said. "I chased a lot of bad pitches earlier inthe season. If I have to walk, I take my walk."

"You mean the four home runs he hit, and the two that counted?"LaRussa joked. "What a day. If you've been wondering about hispower, watch that game today."

Wheeler gave credit to Pujols but admitted he missed his spot.

"We were already down a run, and he's the one guy in the lineupyou don't want to beat you," Wheeler said. "You're trying tofocus on keeping the ball down and maybe he'll swing at apitcher's pitch. I had the right mindset, I just didn't executeto where I needed to be."

Astros manager Phil Garner gave no serious consideration towalking Pujols, who now has 19 home runs in 59 careerregular-season games at Minute Maid Park.

"If we make the pitch we've been making, we get (Pujols) out,"Garner said. "That's what we've been doing the whole series.... We've seen a (lot) of those in the last couple of weeks.Broken-bat bloopers go anywhere."

It was the second multi-homer game this season and 18th careerfor Pujols, who leads the Cardinals with 11 blasts this season.

"Once a year, I do that here," Pujols said. "I hit the balls along ways. I had pretty good swings."

"We try to get them to hit at the pitches they normally don'twant to swing at," Wheeler said. "Sometimes they're tooaggressive and get themselves out. Obviously (Pujols) is in adifferent class. He waits for his pitches, fights off goodpitches, and when the pitcher makes a mistake, he hits it."

Eckstein and Juan Encarnacion also homered for St. Louis, whichimproved to 6-3 this season against Houston.

Jason Isringhausen (2-0) worked the last two innings to recordthe win, yielding a leadoff homer to Mark Loretta in the 10thand stranding the tying run on first base.

Cardinals starter Braden Looper worked six innings, allowingthree runs and seven hits with no walks and one strikeout.

Pence had four hits and Morgan Ensberg added a pair for theAstros, who have lost 14 of their last 17 contests.

"This is a tough loss," Garner said. "We fought hard but we'llbounce back from it."

Pence's home run was a 440-foot blast that was tied for thefifth-longest home run in the history of Minute Maid Park.Pence has multi-hit games in nine of his last 11 starts, hitting.465 (20-for-43) in that span.

"It's fun to watch (Pence) play," Pujols said. "He's smilingand playing hard all the time. He plays really great defense,too."