Kazmir holds down Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- Scott Kazmir reached the tipping point early when Matt Holliday homered for the first time in more than a month leading off the second inning. The next time the St. Louis Cardinals got a hit, the Los Angeles Angels had a six-run cushion.

"I just did him a favor, hung him a changeup," Kazmir said. "It kind of lit the fire under me a little bit."

The left-hander ended a string of three straight losses with his best outing of the season, and the offense backed him with 13 hits in a 10-7 victory Saturday.

Kendry Morales had a pair of RBI doubles for a three-hit game and Mike Napoli had a two-run homer. The Angels have won three of four and became the first team to score in double figures against the Cardinals.

"The team looks pretty good offensively, and Kazmir pitched his butt off," said Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, who had two RBIs. "All of a sudden, we're starting to click."

Kazmir (3-4) faced a little more adversity after Holliday ended a 107 at-bat homer drought, walking the next two hitters. Then he retired the next 17 in a row, allowing three hits in seven innings to match his season high while winning on the road for the first time in four decisions.

"The whole day was encouraging for Scott," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's the way he can pitch. He has the potential to do that every time out."

Kazmir allowed 14 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings during his previous three starts although his last outing showed improvement, when he gave up four runs in seven innings in a 4-3 loss to Texas. The biggest adjustment has been working more inside.

"It's tough to do it on the fly, but I've been doing that my whole career," Kazmir said. "Every bullpen session, every time I'm just playing catch I'm working on stuff, just trying to get back to where it feels good."

It looked pretty good to the Cardinals, especially considering Kazmir entered with a 6.51 ERA.

"He used to throw it hard but couldn't control the ball good," Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Now he doesn't have the velocity that he wants, but he's keeping the ball down pretty well and mixing his pitches."

Holliday added an RBI double after returning to the cleanup slot, although Pujols was 0 for 4 batting third. The Cardinals went 4-1 with their new-look lineup but both stars mostly had been quiet, Holliday going 4 for 18 with two RBIs and Pujols 6 for 16 with a double and no RBIs.

The homer was Holliday's first since April 19, and his first at home since a game-winner against the Cubs on Sept. 18. The longest homer drought of his career is 137 at-bats from Sept. 8, 2004 to May 15, 2005.

"It's a sign of having a decent swing," Holliday said.