Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fourth inning, Skip Schumaker and Chris Duncan each had two hits and two RBIs with a walk in their first three at-bats, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 11-1 on Friday night.
St. Louis reached a season best for runs and tied its high for hits, also against the Giants a week ago, in a game that began in 53-degree chill.
The 23-year-old Cain (0-2), whose 3.65 ERA was 10th in the National League last year, allowed a personal-high nine runs on eight hits in 3 2-3 innings. The outing, which included Duncan's two-run homer in the third, surpassed the eight runs he allowed the Cubs in 5 1-3 innings on May 10, 2006.
Todd Wellemeyer (2-0) matched his career high with seven strong innings for the Cardinals, who have won five of seven and are 8-2 at home. Their current run includes Cain's previous start, when they rallied from a five-run deficit to win 8-7 in 10 innings at San Francisco last Saturday.
Fred Lewis had an RBI single in the third, a comebacker that deflected off Wellemeyer's posterior when he turned after the pitch. The Giants have lost five of seven and are 1-6 on the road, and the NL's worst offense mustered two or fewer runs for the ninth time in 17 games.
Duncan's second homer made it 3-1 and the Cardinals had 12 at-bats in the six-run fourth, their biggest inning of the year. Pujols' fourth homer reached the third deck in left field, a drive estimated at 424 feet, for an 8-1 cushion, while Schumaker had a two-run single and Adam Kennedy added an RBI double off Erick Threets.
Pujols is 15-for-39 (.385) with four homers during a 10-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all 17 games. He added a fourth RBI on a groundout in the first.
