Pujols pads hot streak in a shutout

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols reached 100 RBIs, scored his 100th run and extended his hitting streak to 21 games as the Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins 3-0 Thursday night.

Brett Tomko pitched shutout ball into the ninth inning as the Cardinals ended a three-game losing streak and avoided a three-game sweep.

The Marlins have won nine of 12. They held St. Louis to six runs in the series.

Pujols is 33-for-82 (.402) during his hitting streak, the team's longest in four seasons, to raise his average to a major league-leading .372.

Pujols' hitting streak is the Cardinals' longest since Joe McEwing hit in 25 straight in 1999. Pujols has three streaks of 10 or more games this year and eight in his three-year career.

Tomko (8-7) won for the first time in five decisions at home, although he's pitched a lot better at Busch Stadium than on the road. He has a 3.30 ERA in 11 home starts and is 7-3 with a 7.53 ERA in 13 road games, 12 of them starts.

Tomko has allowed more hits and runs than any NL pitcher. But he held the Marlins hitless until Mike Lowell singled to start the fifth and left after giving up his fourth hit to open the ninth. Tomko struck out five and walked one.

Jason Isringhausen worked the ninth for his ninth save in 10 chances, completing the Cardinals' fifth shutout. The Marlins have been blanked four times.

Pujols' RBI double in the first off Josh Beckett (5-6) gave the Cardinals the lead. St. Louis added two runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Scott Rolen and the alert baserunning of Bo Hart.

Hart made it 2-0 when he scored from second on Tino Martinez's fly out, capitalizing on Pujols' baserunning mistake. Hart advanced to third on the flyout and Pujols tried to move up a base also but got caught in a rundown.

Hart sprinted home and barely beat the relay to the plate from first baseman Andy Fox with a slide.

With the loss, Florida hasn't swept a three-game series against the Cardinals since Aug. 27-29, 1996, in St. Louis.