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Molina homers twice as Cardinals down Cubs

Aug 22, 2011 - 3:16 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Yadier Molina homered twice and knocked in three runs and Albert Pujols went 4-for-5 with a solo shot, as the Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-2 win over the Cubs.

Jon Jay went 2-for-3 with a home run for St. Louis, which had lost four of five coming in and are still 8 1/2 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee.

Jake Westbrook (10-7) held the Cubs to two runs on seven hits over seven innings, while his counterpart, Rodrigo Lopez (4-4), was tagged for five runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 frames.

Aramis Ramirez drove in both runs for Chicago, which was trying for its first home sweep of its division rival in over five years.

Jay and Molina homered on consecutive pitches to start the second, and Pujols added his 31st of the year in the fifth.

Ramirez singled home Geovany Soto in the third and knocked in Starlin Castro with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it 3-2, but the Cardinals pushed three across in the sixth for some breathing room.

Molina took Lopez the other way for a two-run shot to end his outing early. Daniel Descalso greeted James Russell with a double and eventually scored on a Skip Schumaker sac fly.

Jason Motte and Fernando Salas each hurled a scoreless inning to finish off the win.

Game Notes

Molina's only other multi-home run game came on August 16, 2007 against the Brewers...The Cubs haven't earned a home sweep of the Cardinals since taking a four-game set, July 27-30, 2006...Ramirez is batting .487 (19-for-39) during a 10-game hitting streak...St. Louis holds an 8-4 lead in the season series.