Wellemeyer shuts down Pirates in Cardinals' win

[May 15, 2008]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Todd Wellemeyer allowed two hits into the eighth inning and Albert Pujols had two hits, reaching base for the 41st straight game to start the season, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Cesar Izturis and Troy Glaus both had three hits and an RBI for the Cardinals, who ended a three-game losing streak and won for only the second time in eight games behind a 15-hit attack and despite stranding 15 runners, one off their season worst. They handed the Pirates only their second loss in nine games, denying them a chance to reach .500 this far into the season for the first time since they were 30-30 on June 11, 2005.

Wellemeyer (4-1) allowed Luis Rivas' single with one out in the first, then gave up only three walks before Jose Bautista singled to start the eighth. That ended an outing that matched his career best since moving into the rotation last year. He struck out five and benefited from an outstanding defensive play by center fielder Rick Ankiel, who leaped above the wall to rob Adam LaRoche of a home run in the second.

Pujols singled twice, drew his major league-leading 12th intentional walk in the fourth after Ankiel's two-out double and had the first of consecutive sacrifice flies off Paul Maholm (2-4) in the sixth that put the Cardinals ahead 4-0. His streak of reaching base is the best in the majors to start the season since Derek Jeter's 53-game run in 1999 for the Yankees. Pujols extended his second double-digit hitting streak of the year to 13 games.

Maholm allowed four runs and 11 hits in six innings with three walks and six strikeouts, keeping the Pirates close by stranding 10 runners. The Cardinals left the bases loaded in the third, getting only Glaus' RBI double for a 2-0 lead, and left two on in the second and fourth.

The Cardinals left the bases loaded again in a scoreless seventh against Sean Burnett and have left 364 runners on base in the first 42 games, by far the most in the majors.

The Pirates scored in the eighth when Izturis, the shortstop, fell down while backpedaling for Nate McLouth's two-out pop fly against Randy Flores. The ball dropped next to him in shallow center field for an RBI single.

Jason Isringhausen, removed from the closer's role last week after five blown saves, worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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