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Home runs power Astros past Cardinals

Aug 31, 2008 - 3:26 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- As the utility player for the Houston Astros, Ty Wigginton must be hoping that September generates as much good fortune for him as August did.

The red-hot Wigginton and Hunter Pence each homered in a six-run first inning Saturday as the Astros defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-5, for their fourth straight win.

Houston starter Brian Moehler (10-5) pitched six effective innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. He struck out six and walked three for the Astros, who pounded out 14 hits.

After a three-run opening frame by the Cardinals, Wigginton belted his major league-leading 11th homer in August - a two-run shot - before Pence's three-run blast capped the scoring in the bottom of the inning.

"When they got three runs, everybody's mindset was just to go out and have some good at-bats," Wigginton said. "And fortunately, we came back. I think it kind of got contagious out there after the first five guys got on.

"The sixth guy says, 'Hey, I don't want to be the one who stops this.'"

The first seven Astros reached base against Cardinals starter Braden Looper (12-11) in the decisive first.

For the game, Looper yielded eight runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings, while walking three and striking out one.

"Basically, the guys put three runs on the board for me and, if I did my job, we would have had a good chance to win the game," Looper said. "Unfortunately, I didn't. I just had to make an adjustment and get the ball down.

"I kept trying to pound the strike zone and get ahead, and I was just missing a lot and falling behind. When you do that, they're going to make you pay."

In the first, Darin Erstad led off with a single and Wigginton followed with his 20th home run of the season to right field to pull Houston within 3-2.

Miguel Tejada then doubled, Lance Berkman walked and Geoff Blum followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 3-3. Pence then gave the Astros a three-run lead.

St. Louis started the scoring in the opening frame on a three-run homer by Rick Ankiel - his 25th of the campaign.

Moehler, though, found his groove and kept the Cardinals' bats silent after the first.

"That six-spot ... that says a lot about this team, about how we've been playing lately," Moehler said. "We play hard and never give up. I just relaxed and I finally felt like I settled down. I knew it was still early in the game, and I just wanted to try to shut them down after that."

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols went 4-for-4, including his 29th home run, in the seventh inning.

"Albert had a huge day," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We got a big swing from Rick, and maybe it was deflating to give up six runs, but sometimes you have to pick up your starting pitcher and we didn't do it."