Cards vs Astros NLCS - Chapter Two pre series stuff

[Schwahalala]

We wanted a 5 game series with extra innings to use up all of the winners pitchers - and we sort of got what we wanted.

Innings wise it was 5 games - but only 4 in reality.

I don't think it makes much difference now - maybe if we were playing on Tuesday.

Okay so I am thinking their rotation will be Pettite - Oswalt - Clemens - Backe - Pettite - Oswalt - Clemens

We will counter with Carpenter - Mulder (please shoulder heal) - Morris - Suppan - Carpenter - Mulder - Morris

Our bullpen was better than theirs before Reyes got hurt - now its a toss up.

We have to hit early and often and make their bats revert to the lack of support group.

[Tazlaz]

Bernie says its looking like Carpenter and Suppan at home, then Morris/Mulder (no order determined) in 3 and 4

[Schwahalala]

QUOTE(Tazlaz @ Oct 9 2005, 07:51 PM) Quoted post

Bernie says its looking like Carpenter and Suppan at home, then Morris/Mulder (no order determined) in 3 and 4 [/b][/quote]

I like mine better - but the skip has his reasons

[kennyboyerfan]

I sort of like Mulder, a ground ball pitcher, starting in that bandbox. But Morris scares me to death. Might be a few bouncing off the train out there....

[Ohio Blues]

Morris Game 7? Fuck me with a rusty golf club.

[Schwahalala]

By JOEL ANDERSON, AP Sports Writer
April 5, 2005

HOUSTON (AP) -- Facing the Astros once again, the St. Louis Cardinals finally took a lead and resumed their winning ways.

Jim Edmonds, Larry Walker and Reggie Sanders homered to lead St. Louis over Houston 7-3 Tuesday night in a season-opening rematch of the 2004 NL championship series.

St. Louis overcame a 3-2 series deficit against Houston to win the NL pennant last October but never held a lead after that, getting swept by Boston in the World Series. In this one, the Cardinals went ahead 3-0 lead in the first and never trailed, ending Houston's 18-game, regular-season home winning streak, the longest in the major leagues since Cleveland won 18 in a row at Jacobs Field in May and June 1994.

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Chris Carpenter, who missed the postseason because of nerve damage in his right biceps, won by allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Al Reyes, Julian Tavarez and Ray King followed, and Jason Isringhausen retired Adam Everett on a bases-loaded grounder for the save.

Shortstop David Eckstein, second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and catcher Yadier Molina, three newscomers to the St. Louis lineup, went a combined 2-for-12 with three strikeouts in their Cardinals' debuts.

But St. Louis had more than enough offense. Edmonds had four RBIs, and Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the seventh.

Houston has a new look following an offseason on attrition. All-Stars Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran began free agents and departed. Center fielder Lance Berkman, another All-Star, tore up a knee playing flag football and began the season on the disabled list.

The Astros started two rookie outfielders on opening day for the first time since 1986.

Making his third straight opening-day start, 20-game winner Roy Oswalt gave up six runs and seven hits in six innings.

Craig Biggio had three hits and three RBIs for the Astros.

Oswalt, the NL's only 20-game winner last year, was picked to start over seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. Oswalt gave up a one-out single to Walker in the first, a two-out infield hit to Scott Rolen and Edmonds' homer on a fastball driven deep into the left-field seats.

Albert Pujols led off the sixth with a single, Rolen doubled and Edmonds hit a sacrifice fly. Oswalt struck out Grudzielanek, then gave up a two-run homer to Sanders, which put St. Louis ahead 6-1.

Notes

The Astros' rookie outfielders were LF Luke Scott and CF Willy Taveras. In 1986, it was Eric Bullock and Tony Walker. Taveras and Scott combined to go 1-for-6, with Taveras scoring a run in the third. ... Oswalt had won four straight decisions against St. Louis dating to September 2003.

[Schwahalala]

By JOEL ANDERSON, AP Sports Writer
April 6, 2005

HOUSTON (AP) -- Andy Pettitte felt better than he had in a long time, going all the way back to his final game with the New York Yankees almost 18 months ago.

He pitched like it, too.

Pettitte allowed only a solo homer to Reggie Sanders in a strong six-inning season debut, and Mike Lamb's two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth sent the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

``It was great to go back out there and not pitch with a lot of pain,'' Pettitte said. ``I can't tell you how happy I am to go out there and not hurt. It makes you appreciate your health.''

Chad Qualls pitched two perfect innings and Brad Lidge got three outs for a save to help Houston break a three-game losing streak against the Cardinals, dating to Game 6 of the NL championship series last October.

Coming off an elbow injury that ended his season last August, Pettitte proved that those painful days of 2004 might finally be behind him. The last time Pettitte looked this good, he was wearing pinstripes and pitching in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series.

He showed little rust against the Cardinals despite the long layoff, retiring the first nine he faced before giving up a single to David Eckstein to lead off the fourth.

``He kept us off-balance,'' Sanders said. ``We didn't know what to expect because he's been out so long.''

In the fifth, Sanders sent Pettitte's curveball off the wall in left field but Pettitte recovered, giving up only one more hit before Qualls replaced him to start the seventh.

``He kicked it up a little when he had to do it,'' Astros manager Phil Garner said. ``It was a marvelous job.''

Pettitte even made it safely through his two at-bats -- both strikeouts -- which were the start of all his troubles during his Houston debut last season.

He tore a tendon in his elbow in that game, went on the disabled list twice, missed eight starts with a sore arm and hardly resembled the guy known as one of baseball's best postseason pitchers.

Pettitte finally decided to have season-ending surgery in August, forcing him to miss the playoffs for the first time since he was a promising 22-year-old in the Yankees' minor league system.

Now 32, Pettitte is eager for a chance to make up for his absence during the Astros' run through the postseason last year.

``I wish I had been there to take some of the heat off Roger (Clemens) and Roy (Oswalt),'' he said. ``It's just a good situation, just disappointing I wasn't there to help those guys out.''

His return was certainly worth the wait for Astros fans, though. The crowd of 28,496 heartily cheered Pettitte as he left the mound at the end of the fifth.

The Astros struggled to pull away until Lamb's triple off Julian Tavarez in the eighth. Rookie center fielder Willy Taveras, the 23-year-old replacement for Carlos Beltran, followed with an RBI single to give Houston a 4-1 lead.

Tavarez took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits.

``He just hit it in the right spot,'' Tavarez said of Lamb's shot to right-center. ``It wasn't my best pitch. We weren't playing him to hit it there.''

Astros fans clearly relished the sight of a beaten Tavarez, lustily booing him as he trudged back to the dugout. Tavarez became a target of fans in Houston during Game 4 of the NLCS when he threw a fastball over Jeff Bagwell's head. He was later fined $10,000.

``It's a great thing,'' Garner said. ``They remember him in the playoffs. It was fun then and it was a lot of fun now.''

Notes

Sanders homered for the second straight day. ... Astros 3B Morgan Ensberg went 3-for-3. ... Astros RF Jason Lane made a nice diving catch of Larry Walker's broken-bat hit to right. ... The 2004 All-Star starting pitchers both make their debuts Friday. Houston right-hander Roger Clemens faces Cincinnati, while St. Louis righty Mark Mulder, an offseason trade pickup from Oakland, starts in St. Louis' home opener against Philadelphia. ... Actor Lou Diamond Phillips threw out the first pitch.

[Schwahalala]

By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
April 23, 2005

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Jason Marquis remained calm, even as his seven-run lead all but evaporated.

So Taguchi and Mark Grudzielanek each hit a two-run double, and the St. Louis Cardinals' previously untouchable bullpen withstood a mid-game meltdown before holding on for an 8-7 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.

``It was not too bad,'' Marquis said. ``Obviously, we had a big enough cushion in case something like what happened, happened.''

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Marquis (3-0) had two hits and scored twice for the Cardinals, who have won seven of eight. But he labored through 5 2-3 innings, striking out eight and throwing 108 pitches. After leading 8-1 in the sixth, St. Louis needed four relievers to end the Astros' three-game winning streak while Marquis watched helplessly.

``I was just thinking back on pitches I could have made and should have made,'' Marquis said. ``You've got to take these wins as they come.''

The Cardinals' bullpen hadn't allowed a run in 17 1-3 innings over a nine-game span and entered this three-game series with a 3.34 ERA. St. Louis used four pitchers in the Astros' five-run sixth, when Randy Flores hit the only batter he faced with a pitch and Al Reyes gave up a three-run double to Adam Everett before Julian Tavarez got Jason Lane on a force play with the bases loaded to end the inning.

``It's frustrating to battle back from that far down and not win,'' Lane said. ``It showed a lot that we just didn't roll over after they got that big lead.''

In the seventh, Tavarez gave up a home run to Morgan Ensberg that narrowed the gap to 8-7. Then Tavarez settled down, retiring six of the next eight hitters.

``I stopped the team from bleeding,'' Tavarez said. ``That's one thing that really makes me happy, coming out of the bullpen and getting the job done.''

Jason Isringhausen worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save in six chances.

Astros starter Brandon Duckworth (0-1) walked three and had a throwing error in the Cardinals' five-run second. Taguchi had a two-run double and scored on Yadier Molina's slow roller down the third-base line when Duckworth slipped on the wet grass and threw well wide of first base for a hit and an error.

``He dug his own grave, really,'' Astros manager Phil Garner said. ``The first time he got in trouble he walked two hitters. That hurt and the momentum shifted.''

Grudzielanek's two-run double plus a sacrifice fly by Jim Edmonds in the fourth made it 8-1.

The Astros benefited from three walks and two hit batters in the sixth, with Willy Taveras' two-run single chasing Marquis. He was charged with five runs and seven hits, but he won his third straight start.

Duckworth, making his second start of the season, allowed eight runs and eight hits in four innings with four walks and no strikeouts.

``Tonight wasn't indicative of what I can do,'' Duckworth said. ``You have to move on and keep on battling. I put us behind the 8-ball.''

Notes

Cardinals pitchers hadn't allowed more than one run in an inning for five straight games. ... Ensberg, who had been 4-for-4 against Marquis, struck out in all three at-bats against the right-hander. ... 1B Albert Pujols made a nifty scoop of Tavarez's hurried one-bounce throw on Taveras' sacrifice bunt in the seventh, then got clipped on his left foot when Taveras crossed the bag. He limped around for a few seconds but stayed in the game. ... Lane was 0-for-4 with a walk after going 10-for-20 his previous four games. ... The Cardinals had homered in 10 straight games. ... Everett drove in three runs for the first time since July 24, 2004, at Arizona.

[Schwahalala]

April 23, 2005

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Mark Mulder simply outlasted Roger Clemens.

Mulder threw a 10-inning shutout, outpitching Clemens in a marquee matchup and leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Houston Astros 1-0 Saturday.

The first Cardinals starter to go 10 innings since Jose DeLeon pitched 11 against Cincinnati in 1989, Mulder threw only 101 pitches in his ninth career shutout.

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``I wasn't tired, but they would have taken me out for a pinch-hitter in the ninth if my spot had come up,'' he said.

Mulder (2-1) enjoyed the 43-degree weather and won his second consecutive outing after going winless in his first two starts.

``I like it when I'm the only one sweating out there,'' he said. ``I'm pitching the same way I always have, I'm just getting better results.''

Larry Walker's RBI single off Brad Lidge in the 10th won it for the Cardinals, moving manager Tony La Russa into a tie with Joe McCarthy for fifth place on the career victories list at 2,125.

Clemens allowed four hits in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 0.32 and pushing his scoreless streak to 23 innings. But he was thwarted for the third straight time in his bid for his 330th win. He remains tied with Steve Carlton for ninth on the career list.

The Astros have not scored a run for Clemens in 22 innings. They did not even put a runner on third base in this one.

``I don't worry about that side of it,'' Clemens said. ``I was moving the ball around and I got out of a few spots.''

Mulder set a career high for innings pitched, giving up four hits, striking out five and walking none in his 23rd complete game. The lanky left-hander, acquired from Oakland in an offseason trade, lowered his ERA from 4.74 to 3.10.

``He pitched a pretty decent game, but we swung at a lot of balls,'' Astros manager Phil Garner said. ``We need to be a little better selective the next time out.''

Mulder has not allowed an earned run in his past two starts, giving up just six hits in 18 innings.

Pinch-hitter Reggie Sanders led off the 10th with an infield single against Chad Qualls (1-1). After Sanders moved to second on a groundout, Lidge came in to face Walker, who lined a single to left to score Sanders.

``It was a swinging bunt that feels just as good as a ringing line drive,'' Sanders said. ``I was enjoying the game from the bench and I'm glad I was part of the win.''

Lidge said Walker hit a good pitch.

``It was a fastball, down and away and he reached for it. I'm not upset about the pitch at all,'' he said.

Clemens, who threw 126 pitches, had six strikeouts and a season-high four walks. He and Mulder were facing each other for the first time in a regular-season game. They were the starting pitchers in last year's All-Star game.

In six career starts against the Cardinals, Clemens is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA. That doesn't include the 2004 postseason, in which Clemens lost Game 7 of the NL championship series at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Roger Cedeno, who had been 10-for-24 against Clemens, grounded out to end the inning.

Notes

LF Chris Burke robbed Mulder of a hit with a diving catch in the fourth. ... Mulder shook off the effects of being struck on the left ankle by a piece of Mike Lamb's shattered bat in the fourth.

[Schwahalala]

By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
April 24, 2005

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Albert Pujols is sure the St. Louis Cardinals will start hitting soon.

Pujols hit a two-run homer, and David Eckstein and Mark Grudzielanek each had three hits to help the Cardinals complete a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with an 8-5 victory Sunday. The NL Central leaders have won nine of 10 without consistent offense, given the team's .243 batting average.

``I just think you guys take this too serious,'' Pujols said. ``The season is just starting and you struggle here and there like we were early and it's, 'Oh man, what's wrong with the Cardinals?

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``It's too early, what did you expect? Just go out there and hit .500 right away as a team? No, this is the big leagues, this is not the minor leagues.''

The Cardinals have been off and on thus far, leaning more on consistent starting pitching than an overpowering lineup. On Saturday, they won 1-0 in 10 innings, and three other times they've scored three or fewer runs.

Matt Morris (2-0) worked five effective innings in his second start since shoulder surgery for the Cardinals, who have won their last seven home games against the Astros -- including the 2004 NL championship series. St. Louis swept the Astros at home for the first time since May 21-23, 2002.

``These are big ones,'' Morris said. ``A lot of times, the wins in April make the difference in September.''

It was certainly momentous for manager Tony La Russa, who earned his 2,126th victory to break a tie with Joe McCarthy for fifth on the career list.

Jeff Bagwell had two RBIs for the Astros, who are 1-8 on the road and 7-2 at home.

``It's ugly, it's really ugly,'' manager Phil Garner said. ``We're going to have to bring in some snake oil and maybe do an exorcism.''

The Cardinals battered Brandon Backe (1-1), who threw eight shutout innings against them in Game 5 of the NLCS, for eight runs and 13 hits in five innings. They were on him from the start with four extra-base hits in the first six at-bats during a four-run first, including Pujols' fifth homer and consecutive triples by Scott Rolen and Reggie Sanders.

``I felt fine, just had the ball up,'' Backe said. ``That was it. It was up and those guys know how to hit.''

Pujols' homer, a shot to straightaway center in the first, was estimated at 439 feet. Eckstein doubled twice and had two RBIs, and Grudzielanek had three singles, scored twice and drove in a run.

Rolen had an RBI single in the second, Eckstein and Larry Walker drove in runs in the third for a 6-2 lead and Eckstein got another run-scoring single in the fifth.

Morris gave up two runs and five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. In two starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list, the Cardinals' former ace has 11 strikeouts and two walks in 11 innings.

``The progress we've been making, there's no sense pushing it now,'' Morris said. ``Throwing 91 pitches and to go out and tax myself when we have a bullpen that hasn't pitched in a couple days, it was the right move.''

Jason Isringhausen got four outs for his seventh save in seven chances.

One of the runs off Morris was a gift, when Walker inexplicably stopped running after Bagwell's fly to right in the third and it fell in for a double. Bagwell, after a day off on Saturday, also had an RBI single in the first for Houston.

The Astros took advantage of wildness by seldom-used reliever Jimmy Journell and Eckstein's throwing error on a potential double-play ball for three runs in the sixth, cutting the gap to 8-5. Brad Ausmus walked with the bases loaded for the first run in the inning, and another run scored when Eckstein botched the relay to second on Willy Taveras' easy grounder.

Notes

Astros LF Luke Scott was scratched from the lineup due to a sore right shoulder, though he grounded out as a pinch-hitter to end the eighth. ... Sanders robbed Adam Everett of extra bases with a running catch near the left-field corner in the third, slamming into the wall after making the grab. ... Pujols has reached base in 25 straight games dating to last season.

[Tazlaz]

post padder

[_Gassoff]

I was hoping we could face Atlanta and that porus bullpen, but it's not going to be.

Anyway, to be the best, you've got to beat the best, and as far as challengers in the NL, those Astros are the best.

Let's Do It!

[Schwahalala]

QUOTE(Tazlaz @ Oct 9 2005, 08:53 PM) Quoted post

post padder [/b][/quote]

A little.

[Schwahalala]

By JOEL ANDERSON, AP Sports Writer
June 4, 2005

HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Astros can make almost any opposing pitcher look great these days. It was Chris Carpenter's turn Friday night.

Carpenter pitched eight mostly dominant innings, and Albert Pujols hit a solo homer in the ninth to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Astros.

``I was fortunate that we got a couple of runs and I was able to get out of a couple of jams,'' Carpenter said. ``I made my pitches.''

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Carpenter (8-3) became the latest pitcher to stifle the Astros' punchless offense, striking out six and walking two for his fourth win in five starts. Julian Tavarez got three outs for his third save.

Carpenter gave up eight hits and joined a list of starters that ranges from teammate Mark Mulder to Atlanta's Tim Hudson to Milwaukee's Doug Davis in keeping Houston scoreless for at least seven innings.

``He was outstanding,'' Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. ``You have to give Houston some credit, though. They generated enough offense tonight that they shouldn't have gotten shut out.''

The Astros have been shut out a major league-leading 10 times this season, including a 9-0 loss to Cincinnati's Aaron Harang on Monday.

``I don't know if we're pressing or not,'' said Astros shortstop Adam Everett, who went 3-for-3 with a double. ``We had some opportunities today, and we hit the ball hard but just right at someone.''

St. Louis found the perfect opponent for a rebound after splitting a four-game series with lowly Colorado.

Jim Edmonds' run-scoring double in the third gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, one that would prove too much to overcome for the worst-hitting club in the majors.

The Astros bungled a couple of prime opportunities to score in the fifth.

With Everett on third and pitcher Andy Pettitte at first, rookie outfielder Willy Taveras failed to get a bunt down on a squeeze and Everett was caught in a rundown.

Taveras followed with a liner to right, but So Taguchi scooped up the ball and easily cut down the plodding Pettitte at the plate to end the inning. That ugly sequence was followed by a loud chorus of boos from the crowd of 34,092.

Astros manager Phil Garner insisted that third base coach Doug Mansolino's decision to wave Pettitte around was the correct one, especially for a club struggling to generate offense.

``I want to send him,'' Garner said. ``If they make a play or a throw, then that's fine.''

Pettitte, never known for his foot speed, wasn't so sure.

``I know I'm slow but I don't think I'm that slow,'' he said. ``Obviously, I don't think I should have went.''

Pettitte (3-6) allowed five hits in seven innings, striking out five with no walks. But his solid effort was wasted -- again -- as the Astros came up with nothing against Carpenter.

``I feel for him,'' Garner said. ``This was one of his better games this season.''

Pujols backed Carpenter in the ninth with a solo shot that bounced off the replica 1860 railroad tracks atop the 58-foot wall in left. It was his 13th homer of the season.

Notes

St. Louis improved to 15-4 in the first game of a series. ... Pettitte singled in the fifth, his first hit of the season. He was 0-for-15 before that. ... Cardinals OF Reggie Sanders stole two bases in the sixth for his first multisteal game of the year. ... The Astros went with an all-rookie outfield of Chris Burke, Taveras and Todd Self for the second straight game. ... Fans were evacuated from their seats about 45 minutes before the game after a fire alarm went off. The alarm sounded after a water flow sensor activated in the upper concourse of the ballpark, and fans were soon able to return to their seats.

[Schwahalala]

By JOEL ANDERSON, AP Sports Writer
June 4, 2005

HOUSTON (AP) -- Facing the St. Louis Cardinals' powerful lineup is a daunting task for any pitcher. Especially a rookie such as Wandy Rodriguez.

Reggie Sanders hit a grand slam and pitcher Jason Marquis added a two-run homer during an eight-run third inning against Rodriguez, and the Cardinals held off the Houston Astros 11-9 Saturday.

``I thought he could get us out of the inning because we were going against the end of the lineup,'' Astros manager Phil Garner said. ``But then Marquis gets that home run ... that put a final fork in him.''

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Sanders went 4-for-4 with five RBIs, Marquis was 3-for-3 with two hits in the third and Albert Pujols homered in the eighth to help preserve the victory for the Cardinals, who have won 11 of 15.

Jason Isringhausen got three outs for his 17th save in 18 chances, rebounding quickly after his first blown save against Colorado on Thursday.

The Cardinals have won five straight and six of seven against the last-place Astros, a totally different club than the one they beat in seven games in the NL championship series last fall.

Now missing the big bats of All-Stars Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent, Houston ranks last in the majors in hitting and scoring -- and last in the NL Central standings.

But the Astros responded with one of their best offensive performances of late, tying their third-highest scoring output of the season.

And it still wasn't enough against the division-leading Cardinals.

``We thought we had a blowout and then they came pounding back,'' said Sanders, who had a career-high three doubles and tied a career best for hits. ``They always give us a fight.''

Marquis (7-3) gave up six runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings for his second straight win. He made up for a shaky performance on the mound with a career high-tying three hits and did just enough to outpitch Rodriguez.

``It was definitely nice to have that big lead,'' said Marquis, who is hitting .375. ``But I think with a big lead like that, it affects you subconsciously. I probably settled in too much.''

Coming off his first career win in his previous start last Saturday, Rodriguez (1-2) was roughed up early during a dreadful home debut.

Sanders' run-scoring double in the first was only a preview of the outburst to come in the third.

The Cardinals sent 11 batters to the plate, starting with consecutive singles by Marquis and David Eckstein. With runners at second and third and one out, Pujols was intentionally walked to load the bases. Sanders followed with a long shot to left for his second career slam, giving St. Louis a 5-1 lead.

Rodriguez was clearly shaken after that, cursing loudly, and angrily shaking his head after watching the ball sail out of the park.

``We didn't make very many good pitches and they made us pay,'' Garner said. ``It seemed like we couldn't get out of that inning.''

Mark Grudzielanek followed with a single, Larry Walker added a run-scoring triple, Scott Seabol had an RBI single and Marquis chased Rodriguez with a two-run shot that put the Cardinals up 9-1.

Brandon Backe ended the inning by getting Eckstein on a popup.

Rodriguez allowed nine runs and nine hits in 2 2-3 innings, striking out four and walking two. He has an ERA of 10.67 in three starts since he was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on May 23.

The 26-year-old lefty was distraught after the game, sitting with his head in his hands and remaining silent for several minutes as reporters gathered around him.

``I had a lot of bad luck,'' Rodriguez finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The Astros simply couldn't overcome his poor start.

Lance Berkman and Adam Everett had run-scoring singles, and Jason Lane grounded into a double play to score Craig Biggio in the fourth, cutting the Cardinals' lead to 9-4. Chris Burke added an RBI double in the fifth.

Abraham Nunez, pinch-hitting for Seabol, singled in Sanders to give St. Louis a 10-5 lead in the sixth.

But the Astros got an RBI single from rookie catcher Humberto Quintero in the bottom half, and Berkman added a two-run homer in the seventh to close the gap to 10-8.

Pujols connected in the eighth off Chad Harville to give Isringhausen a little more cushion.

``There were several times when the game could have gotten away from us,'' Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. ``But our pitching staff was able to make some key pitches to stop them.''

Houston's Morgan Ensberg homered in the second for his 11th of the year, second among NL third basemen.

Notes

Sanders is hitting .347 with five homers and 10 RBIs against left-handers. ... Marquis became the first St. Louis pitcher to have two hits in an inning since Andy Benes did it against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 6, 2002. ... By allowing eight runs in the third, Houston gave up its most runs in an inning since Texas also scored eight in a 14-3 win on May 21. ... St. Louis hit its second grand slam of the season, and Houston allowed its first.