Colby Rasmus' bat leads Cardinals past Tigers

[June 18, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Rookie Colby Rasmus had three hits and two RBIs, both putting the St. Louis Cardinals ahead in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

Yadier Molina homered during a three-hit game and Todd Wellemeyer (6-6) won for the third time in eight decisions at home. St. Louis relievers allowed a run and three hits in 3 2-3 innings, with Ryan Franklin working the ninth for his 16th save in 17 chances.

Curtis Granderson homered twice for the Tigers, who have lost four in a row. They've scored four runs on solo homers during the first two games of the series.

Granderson also walked and singled and is a .467 career hitter (21 for 45) with three homers and 11 RBIs against the Cardinals. But he struck out to end the game.

Edwin Jackson's wild pickoff throw in the third gave Tigers pitchers an error in five straight games at Busch Stadium, the first three in the 2006 World Series. Jackson (6-4) allowed three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts, falling to 5-2 in his last eight starts.

Tigers relievers walked in a run for the second straight game, with Ryan Ludwick driving in St. Louis' fourth run against Joel Zumaya in the seventh.

Wellemeyer allowed two runs in 5 1-3 innings, getting two of his five strikeouts against Tigers cleanup hitter Marcus Thames in a juggled lineup that featured Miguel Cabrera batting third for the first time. Detroit has scored three or fewer runs in seven straight games, totaling 19 runs.

Wellemeyer settled down after going to a full count on three of his first four hitters, hurt only by Granderson's third career multihomer game and second this season.

Wellemeyer is 4-1 in interleague play and 3-5 with a 5.47 ERA in nine home starts this season.

Molina, whose two-out, two-run single was the key hit in the Cardinals' four-run first off Justin Verlander on Tuesday, hit his fifth homer in the second to put the Cardinals ahead.

Granderson's first homer tied it in the third, but St. Louis answered in the bottom half on Rasmus' two-out RBI single. Granderson's second homer, on an 0-2 pitch from Wellemeyer with one out in the fifth, tied it at 2. Again, the Cardinals responded with Rasmus' RBI triple high off the right-field wall.

Zumaya walked three in the seventh as the Cardinals took a two-run lead. Cabrera doubled and scored on Magglio Ordonez's sacrifice fly in the eighth for Detroit.

Notes: All but six of Granderson's homers have come with the bases empty. He is 5 for 10 against Wellemeyer. ... The Tigers are 2-6 in interleague play. ... Albert Pujols was 0 for 2 with two walks, including his major league-leading 21st intentional pass with a runner on third and one out in the fifth. Pujols drew two intentional walks on Tuesday. ... Ludwick struck out three times and is 9 for 55 with one homer and six RBIs since coming off the disabled list from a hamstring injury on May 29. ... Rasmus leads NL rookies with seven homers and 26 RBIs.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.