Astros top Cardinals, now within three games

~ Defending National League champion Houston is one of three teams closing in on the slumping division leaders.

HOUSTON -- Mike Lamb homered in the first inning to spark the Houston Astros went in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

The win was Houston's fifth win in six games, while St. Louis lost for the 13th time in 16 games.

Taylor Buchholz (6-6) pitched six innings for Houston, and Brad Lidge got four outs to earn his 21st save and 14th in his last 15 opportunities.

Jim Edmonds homered for St. Louis, which is 1-10 in its last 11 road games.

The Cardinals' starting pitchers had an 8.30 ERA in their last 15 games, and Sidney Ponson (4-4) looked like he might be in for a rough night when Lamb hit his eighth homer to right in the first.

Buchholz, meanwhile, wasn't as sharp as he was in his last start, when he allowed two hits in seven innings in a 7-0 win overt Texas.

Buchholz beaned Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina leading off the third. Molina, who was replaced by Gary Bennett, suffered a mild concussion.

With one out in the fourth, Albert Pujols smashed a hard single to left, and Edmonds followed with his 10th homer. Right fielder Lance Berkman didn't move as he watched the towering blast sail into the upper deck, putting the Cardinals up 2-1.

The Astros scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the inning. Chris Burke walked to lead off, and Lance Berkman was hit by a pitch. A run scored when second baseman Aaron Miles couldn't handle Preston Wilson's groundball. After a walk, the second run scored on a double play grounder by Morgan Ensberg.

Buchholz allowed three hits and struck out three and retired seven of the last eight Cardinals he faced.

Edmonds led off the seventh against reliever Chad Qualls with a liner off the wall in right, but Berkman gunned a perfect throw to Craig Biggio for the putout at second. Earlier, Berkman threw out Scott Rolen at third as he tagged up following Edmonds' fly out.

After Ensberg and Adam Everett led off the seventh with singles, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa replaced Ponson with Josh Kinney.

Ponson allowed four hits and three runs, one earned, walked four and struck out four.

Pinch-hitter John Rodriguez led off the eighth with a double off Astros reliever Dan Wheeler. David Eckstein bunted Rodriguez to third, and Wheeler struck out Chris Duncan before intentionally walking Pujols. Lidge came on and Rolen to line out to end the threat.

Wilson capped the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth.

Noteworthy

The Cardinals have lost 13 of their last 16 games.

* Edmonds' 220th career homer as a Cardinals player tied him with Mark McGwire for fifth place on the team's all-time list.