Cardinals avoid sweep against Giants

AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Albert Pujols and Edgar Renteria hit three-run homers in an eight-run second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 9-5 Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep.

The Giants were trying to complete the franchise's first four-game sweep at St. Louis since the great Christy Mathewson finished off the Cardinals on May 9, 1912.

Instead, the Cardinals roughed up Kirk Rueter, with Pujols and Scott Rolen hitting consecutive homers in the second and Renteria connecting later in the inning.

Barry Bonds got the afternoon off for the Giants, a day after hitting two home runs. The Giants have not swept any series in St. Louis since July 1987.

San Francisco starter Kirk Rueter, who lives in nearby Hoyleton, Ill., had one of the worst outings of his career and lost for the first time at Busch Stadium.

Rueter, who had been 5-0 with a 2.28 ERA in nine starts in St. Louis, gave up eight runs on nine hits in only three innings.

The runs allowed matched a career worst for Rueter (7-3), who fell to 9-4 for his career against the Cardinals with a 3.22 ERA. This was his first loss to St. Louis since July 22, 1998; he had been 4-0 against the Cardinals since then.

The Cardinals erupted in the second, with singles by Rolen and Eduardo Perez starting the inning and Renteria following with a home run.

Bo Hart squeezed home another run in the inning, the Cardinals' biggest this season.

In the first three games of the series, the Cardinals totaled three runs on 19 hits, scoring one run each game. Pujols, Rolen, Renteria and Jim Edmonds were a collective 5-for-44 the first three games but combined for five hits, seven RBIs and five runs in the finale.

Pujols, who was 1-for-12 the first three games of the series, added a sacrifice fly for a four-RBI day.

Jason Simontacchi (6-4) entered the game with a 6.57 ERA and his spot in the rotation in jeopardy. He allowed only two hits the first five innings before tiring.

J.T. Snow had an RBI double and Jose Cruz Jr. had a two-run homer in the sixth.

Simontacchi was lifted after giving up two hits to open the seventh, and both runners came home on a single by pinch-hitter Neifi Perez against Lance Painter.

The Cardinals added a run in the sixth on Hart's leadoff double, a single by Edmonds and a sacrifice fly by Pujols.

Notes: Rueter's last two outings are his shortest of the season. He gave up six runs, five earned, on eight hits in four innings June 28 against the Athletics. ... RF Eduardo Perez made a diving catch to snare Edgardo Alfonzo's drive to the gap to end the second. ... Pujols had been 1-for-10 against Rueter before his homer. ... The Cardinals had consecutive hits only once the first three games of the series, but did it three times in the second inning Thursday.