Final
Pujols, Wellemeyer carry Cardinals past Pirates
May 31, 2008 - 5:24 AM By Thad Kemlage PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Albert Pujols continues to tear up National League pitching as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pujols homered and Todd Wellemeyer tossed seven strong innings as the St. Louis Cardinals held on for a 5-4 victory over the Pirates on Friday night.
Pujols has 10 hits in his last 18 at-bats, raising his season average to .364. The 2005 NL MVP's first-inning homer off Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke (2-4) gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
"My only thing with (Pujols) is, I just want to make my pitches because he can change the game, like he did," Duke said. "I didn't quite execute the pitch, and he does what he does."
Pujols now is batting .550 (11-for-20) with five RBI against Pittsburgh this season.
Wellemeyer (6-1), who has defeated the Pirates twice this year, allowed just one run and six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He has gone 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA this month.
"The last four years in the majors, I feel more comfortable out there," Wellemeyer said. "I kind of feel like I belong out there. They gave me an opportunity, and now I'm going to make the best of it."
"(Wellemeyer) continues to do a lot of good things," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "His concentration is getting better and better. "
The Cardinals added two insurance runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Cesar Izturis and Joe Mather, who was making his major league debut.
"It was unbelievable," Mather said. "Everything I could have asked for and more. The fans were awesome and it was very surreal."
However, Pittsburgh rallied in the ninth as Freddy Sanchez's single loaded the bases for Jason Michaels, who laced a three-run double into the left-field corner with two outs.
But Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin induced Nate McLouth - who homered in the first inning - to ground out, ending the threat and notching his fifth save.
"We just couldn't quite get over the hump early, and it ended up costing us at the end," Pirates manager John Russell said.
Duke (2-4) gave up three runs - two earned - and five hits in six innings. The lefthander fell to 0-2 with a 4.62 ERA in his last three starts.
"I'm glad I kept us in the game, but at the same time, I didn't really pitch well enough to win," Duke said.
- NL
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 10 2
ST LOUIS 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 x 5 9 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: PIT - ZACH DUKE, TYLER YATES (7TH), SEAN BURNETT (8TH) AND RAUL
CHAVEZ
STL - TODD WELLEMEYER, RON VILLONE (8TH), RUSS SPRINGER
(8TH), RANDY FLORES (9TH), RYAN FRAN
May 30 10:54 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JASON MICHAELS SCORED JOSE BAUTISTA, CHRIS GOMEZ
AND FREDDY SANCHEZ.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, J MICHAELS ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 4
ST LOUIS 5 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N MCLOUTH (.310, 1-FOR-4, HR, RBI)
Pirates 4, Cardinals 5 Top 9, 0 OutsMay 30 10:54 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JOE MATHER SCORED CESAR IZTURIS.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J MATHER ON FIRST, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1
ST LOUIS 5 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: A PUJOLS (.364, 2-FOR-3, HR, 2 RBI)
Pirates 1, Cardinals 5 Bot 7, 0 OutsMay 30 10:16 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY CESAR IZTURIS SCORED RICK ANKIEL.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C IZTURIS ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1
ST LOUIS 4 BOTTOM, 7TH
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: B RYAN (.301, 1-FOR-3)
Pirates 1, Cardinals 4 Bot 7, 0 OutsMay 30 10:10 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY TODD WELLEMEYER SCORED YADIER MOLINA.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1
ST LOUIS 3 BOTTOM, 2ND
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: C IZTURIS (.263, 1 HR, 10 RBI)
Pirates 1, Cardinals 3 Bot 2, 0 OutsMay 30 8:46 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY ALBERT PUJOLS (14) TO CENTER WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 1ST OFF ZACH DUKE SCORED BRENDAN RYAN.
CURRENT SCORE: PITTSBURGH 1, ST LOUIS 2
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: R LUDWICK (.327, 13 HR, 39 RBI)
Pirates 1, Cardinals 2 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 30 8:30 PM - NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PITTSBURGH 1 1 1 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: PIT - ZACH DUKE
STL - TODD WELLEMEYER
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: B RYAN (.300, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
J MATHER (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
A PUJOLS (.359, 13 HR, 35 RBI)
Pirates 1, Cardinals 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 30 8:20 PM
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