Ludwick takes Reyes off hook with 5 RBIs

~ St. Louis claimed the series with a 10-6 victory over Oakland.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A night earlier, Ryan Ludwick was one of only two St. Louis starters without a hit. His timing couldn't have been better Sunday -- against his former organization no less.

Ludwick hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning and drove in a career-high five runs, leading the Cardinals to their first interleague series win in four tries this season with a 10-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Ludwick added a two-run single in the eighth, his career-high tying third hit of the game.

"It's nice. Any time you can get back at your old team, there's a little extra emotion behind it," Ludwick said. "The most important part is getting two out of three here, coming back home .500 on the road trip. It's big for us. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling."

Colby Lewis (0-2) allowed three straight singles to start the seventh before Ludwick's high drive landed in the elevated seats in left-center for his third homer. Lewis' streak of 24 straight retired batters ended on Albert Pujols' base hit up the middle to start the rally. The 28-year-old Ludwick was drafted in the second round by Oakland in 1999 but never played for the A's in the majors.

The Cardinals' comeback kept Anthony Reyes from becoming the first St. Louis pitcher to lose nine straight decisions to start a season since Danny Jackson did it from April 27 to July 2, 1995.

Reyes, the winner in Game 1 of the World Series against Detroit last fall who is 0-8 this year, was called up Saturday from Class AAA Memphis to make his 10th start of 2007.

He plunked two batters in the A's five-run first inning, but got a 1-2-3 second and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third. The right-hander has lost 10 straight regular-season decisions dating to his last win on Sept. 3, 2006, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He lost his final two decisions of 2006 and went winless in his last four outings of last year.

"I wasn't nervous, just a different setting, different from pitching up here than down there," Reyes said. "It'll take a little time to get comfortable again and I'll try my best to grind it out."

Russ Springer (3-0) struck out two in a perfect sixth to win for the second time in as many days.

Juan Encarnacion extended his hitting streak to 17 games -- a Cardinals' season high -- with a single in the seventh. He grounded out with the bases loaded to end the fourth, when St. Louis scored twice to pull within 5-4. Scott Spiezio hit a solo homer in the first and So Taguchi added a fourth-inning RBI single to give him a 10-game hitting streak.

Jack Cust hit a three-run homer with one out in the first and Bobby Crosby and Jason Kendall each doubled to stake Joe Kennedy to a 5-1 lead.