Lopez, Thompson lead Cardinals in rout of Reds

[September 29, 2008]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Felipe Lopez drove in three runs and emergency starter Brad Thompson threw five effective innings, helping the St. Louis Cardinals end the year on a season-best six game winning streak with an 11-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Lopez had three of the Cardinals' 13 hits, including two doubles, in the first three innings and finished 4-for-5 with the three RBIs. Ryan Ludwick had his 37th home run of the season to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead after one and Troy Glaus added his 27th homer in a six-run third against Adam Pettyjohn (0-1).

Thompson (6-3) gave up three runs -- two on a homer by Edwin Encarnacion -- on four hits. He got the start after right-hander Kyle Lohse was scratched to undergo physicals with team doctors. The Cardinals planned a news conference for Monday, when it is expected they will announce a new contact for Lohse, who finished with a team and career-high 15 victories this season.

Albert Pujols was pulled for a pinch runner after doubling in a run during the third. He finished 1-for-2 and ended the year with team highs in RBIs (116) and batting average (.357), but lost the batting title to Chipper Jones of the Braves.

It was Pujols' best mark since 2003 when he lead the league with a .359 average. His 37 home runs tied Ludwick for the team lead.

Pettyjohn's first start in seven years lasted just over two innings during which he gave up eight runs on seven hits. The left-hander began a battle with ulcerative colitis in 2002 while with Minnesota and eventually underwent three surgeries, including one to remove his colon.

Gary Majewski came on in relief of Pettyjohn with runners on first and second in the third but did not fare much better. He gave up a single and three consecutive doubles, including a two-run shot by Lopez before getting out of the inning.

Notes: Pettyjohn was the first left-hander to start for the Reds this season. ... Ludwick extended his season-high hitting streak to 11 games with his home run. ... Cardinals C Jason LaRue was twice hit by a pitch. ... The Cardinals finished the season with their third-best attendance mark in franchise history with 3,432,917. They recorded 3,552,180 and had 3,538,948 in 2005 during their final year at the previous Busch Stadium.

[Associated Press]

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