Cardinals run past Cubs 4-3 in opener of series

Pujols stole second base in the eighth inning and scored the winning run on a single.

By R.B. FALLSTROM

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols' legs can be just as dangerous as his booming bat. The Chicago Cubs learned that painful lesson.

Pujols singled, stole his third base of the year and scored the go-ahead run on Ryan Ludwick's single in the eighth inning in the St. Louis Cardinals' 4-3 victory Friday night.

St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols, right, is congratulated by teammate Brian Barden after scoring on a single by teammate Ryan Ludwick during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, April 24, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

"I play the game hard, play the game the right way," Pujols said. "Whatever you feel in your gut, then you go, and hopefully you get there safe."

Kyle McClellan (1-0) allowed a hit in the eighth, and Ryan Franklin worked around a two-out walk to pinch hitter Milton Bradley in the ninth for his fifth save in five chances as St. Louis won its eighth in a row at home. The opener of a three-game series against their NL Central rival attracted a sellout crowd of 45,812, only the second of the season.

"That was cool," Franklin said. "I usually don't hear the fans, but I did after this game."

The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano batted third for the first time since May 2007 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double to start the eighth.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella's lineup shakeup following a pair of games in which the Cubs totaled one run wasn't a huge success, although Mike Fontenot and Reed Johnson each drove in a run during a three-run seventh that tied the score at 3-3.

The Cardinals' Albert Pujols is congratulated by teammate Brian Barden after scoring on a single by Ryan Ludwick during the eighth inning Friday at Busch Stadium. (JEFF ROBERSON ~ Associated Press)

Pujols grounded a single up the middle with one out in the eighth off Carlos Marmol (0-1), only his fourth hit in 16 at-bats against the right-hander. Although he's not noted for his speed, Pujols stole his third base in three attempts on a 1-0 count, then scored without a play when Ludwick grounded a single just under the glove of diving shortstop Ryan Theriot.

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto wasn't surprised when Pujols took off because of warnings shouted from the dugout.

"It was my responsibility to go out there and tell Marmol, 'You've got to pay attention to this guy,"' Soto said. "I didn't do my job right there and he got a really good jump."

Pujols decided to go for the steal because Marmol is so tough to beat.

"He's the best setup man in the game and a future closer pretty soon," Pujols said. "It's pretty tough to get three hits in a row. You need to try to make anything happen, however you can."

The Cardinals' Albert Pujols steals second base as Cubs second baseman Aaron Miles receives the late throw during the eighth inning Friday at Busch Stadium. (JEFF ROBERSON ~ Associated Press)

Marmol left with a strained left knee after hitting Brian Barden, his third hit batsman in 7 2/3 innings this season, to put runners on first and second, but Angel Guzman got Yadier Molina on a double-play ball.

The first five Cubs reached in the seventh against Adam Wainwright, with left fielder Skip Schumaker's dropped pop fly leading to two unearned runs. Johnson's blooper to shallow center landed just out of the reach of second baseman Joe Thurston's diving attempt for an RBI single and Schumaker, who moved from second in a series of defensive moves to start the inning, dropped Micah Hoffpauir's routine pop fly with the bases loaded.

Thurston, 1-for-13 his previous five games, hit a two-run double to key St. Louis' three-run fifth.