Ludwick homered off Cole Hamels (9-7) with two outs in the fifth and led off the eighth with a drive off Ryan Madson. It was his third multihomer game of the season and fifth career.
Isringhausen has struggled this season, blowing eight saves and losing the closer job in May. He spent time on the disabled list because of a cut hand. On Friday, he got four outs to earn his 12th save.
Lohse (13-3) gave up his first hit with two outs in the fifth to Hamels. But he failed to finish the sixth.
He gave up three runs on three doubles and a home run before being pulled with one out, marking the eighth time and the second consecutive game he failed to get through the sixth. Lohse has gone as many as seven innings only eight times in 24 starts this season.
The Cardinals scored four runs in the third off Hamels, who gave up five runs
- four earned - on eight hits in six innings.
Shane Victorino and Chase Utley started the sixth with consecutive doubles and Pat Burrell hit his 27th home run with one out to make it 5-3. Geoff Jenkins followed with a double before Russ Springer relieved Lohse and got the final two outs of the inning.
Skip Schumaker singled to start the third and Cesar Izturis walked ahead of Mather, who hit his fifth homer. Mather, who also singled, is 9-for-23 during a five-game hit streak.
Notes:@ Ludwick also had two singles giving him his fourth four-hit game this year. ... OF Rick Ankiel has not started six consecutive games because of an abdominal strain and the Cardinals said he is unlikely to start during their three-game series against the Phillies. ... So Taguchi, who played six seasons with the Cardinals before signing as a free-agent with the Phillies during the offseason, received a prolonged standing ovation by the fans when he appeared as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. ... The Cardinals are 52-4 when leading after eight innings.
