Garland tosses 7 shutout innings in Padres' win over Cards

[May 26, 2010]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Jon Garland threw seven innings and Jerry Hairston Jr. homered to lift the San Diego Padres to a 1-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Garland (6-2) won his sixth straight decision, holding the Cardinals to six hits, escaping a one-out, bases-loaded situation in the first inning and getting two inning-ending double plays.

The right-handed sinkerballer struck out seven, walked two and allowed only two fly ball outs as he lowered his ERA to 2.10.

Mike Adams and Heath Bell pitched one inning apiece to combine for San Diego's major-league leading ninth shutout. Bell picked up his 13th save in 15 opportunities.

St. Louis' Albert Pujols broke out of his slump by getting three singles in four at-bats. Pujols came into the game with three hits in his last 20 at-bats over six games. He hadn't driven in a run over his past nine games.

Hairston hit a hanging curveball off Adam Wainwright (6-3) into the left-field stands in the second inning for his first homer since Aug. 26, when he was with the New York Yankees.

Wainwright allowed one run and four hits over seven innings and tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts, including three of San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez, who struck out four times.

Garland, who had lost all three previous starts against St. Louis, has a 1.44 ERA during his six-game winning streak over seven starts. In four home starts this season, Garland is 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA.

Pujols lined a shot up the middle in his first at-bat that appeared to hit Garland's heel and bounced away for an infield single. He then lined a single to left-center and hit a line drive in the sixth that was snared by third baseman Chase Headley before a soft ground-ball single to right field in the ninth.

Pujols has one homer and eight extra-base hits in 82 at-bats in May.

After Garland walked Matt Holliday to load the bases with one out in the first, he got out of the jam by striking out Colby Rasmus and David Freese.

NOTES: Garland's win streak is his longest since 2006 with the Chicago White Sox when he won eight straight from June 13 through Aug. 4. ... Wainwright struck out 12 on July 1, against San Francisco. ... Pujols, who hit .231 with one homer and three RBIs in seven games against San Diego last season, had four hits in 24 at-bats (.167) with a solo homer in his previous six games at Petco Park. ... The Padres recalled OF Luis Durango from Triple-A Portland.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.