Pujols powers Cardinals to 5-4 win over Rockies

DENVER -- Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning Monday night to add to the Colorado bullpen's misery and lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 victory over the Rockies.

Pujols put a 1-2 pitch from Jay Witasick (0-2) barely over the left-field wall for a 4-3 lead. The homer halted Witasick's 10-game streak without allowing an earned run and marked the major league-high 11th blown save of the season for Colorado's beleaguered relievers.

Abraham Nunez added an RBI double in the eighth for St. Louis, and after the Rockies cut the lead back to one, Jason Isringhausen pitched the ninth for his 15th save, and his 20th straight dating to last season.

Jason Marquis (6-3) threw his last pitch trailing 3-1 in the sixth, but got the win thanks to Pujols' 12th homer of the season.

Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, J.D. Closser batted with runners on second and third and one out. Reliever Julian Tavarez threw a wild pitch to bring one run in, but Closser struck out and pinch-hitter Dustan Mohr lined out to end the inning. Preston Wilson grounded into a double play with runners on first and second and one out in the ninth to end the game. The Rockies were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Jamey Wright may have saved his starting spot in the Colorado rotation with a strong, six-inning effort in which he allowed just one unearned run and four hits, even though it didn't net him a win.

Protecting a 3-1 lead, reliever Matt Anderson, the first pick of the 1997 draft, made his Colorado debut in the top of the seventh. He retired the first two batters, but then walked David Eckstein and gave up an infield hit to Roger Cedeno.

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle turned to Witasick, who hadn't allowed an earned run at Coors Field this season. But Pujols took Witasick's low slider out of the park to bring his RBI total to 42 and help the Cardinals improve to 16-7 on the road.

Those 16 wins are two more than the Rockies (14-35) have combined, home and away.

Pujols went 2-for-3 with two walks, and his homer helped erase some embarrassing mistakes by the Cardinals, who looked more like bumblers than the Rockies through much of this one.

Desi Relaford put Colorado ahead 1-0 in the fifth on consecutive Cardinal errors. Relaford reached on a three-base error on right fielder Cedeno, who had the ball in his glove, only to see it pop out when he landed on the ground. Relaford then scored when catcher Yadier Molina threw into left field trying to pick him off at third.

The Cardinals tied the game at 1 in the sixth courtesy of Relaford's throwing error.

But with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, Wilson scored from third on a wild pitch by Marquis. After a walk, pinch-hitter Cory Sullivan got Colorado's only RBI when he hit the ball sharply to shortstop, but the second baseman, Nunez, was nowhere near the bag when Eckstein looked there to throw.

Notes: Rockies starter Shawn Chacon, who hurt his ankle running the bases last week, will throw on the side Tuesday, and how he does will determine whether he makes his scheduled start Thursday. ... St. Louis outfielder Larry Walker sat due to a sprained ankle in Saturday's win over Washington.