Green leads Dodgers to 7-1 win over Cards

ST. LOUIS -- Shawn Green homered twice to set a Dodgers' franchise record with 45 this season, leading Kevin Brown and Los Angeles over the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 Friday night.

Green, who went 4-for-5, topped the previous team record of 43, set by Duke Snider for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 and matched last year by Gary Sheffield.

Green hit a solo homer in the first and a two-run drive in the sixth off Dustin Hermanson (12-12). Green is 6-for-7 with three homers and five RBIs in his last two games, and has 25 homers since the All-Star break, tied with Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for the major league lead. He has hit 28 homers on the road, also a franchise record.

Green's first homer was on an 0-2 count and the second came on a 1-2 pitch.

Tom Goodwin also homered for the Dodgers, who won two of three last weekend in Los Angeles. The Cardinals came into this series having allowed only one run in a three-game sweep of the Padres.

Brown (10-4) made his fourth start since coming off the disabled list from an elbow injury, and made it out of the sixth for the first time in five outings since July 1. He pitched to the minimum through six innings before tiring in the seventh, allowing only an unearned run as his ERA dropped to 2.75.