Simon says, Cards lose

By Alan Robinson ~ The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- Randall Simon's pinch-hit single with the bases loaded in the ninth gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a 6-5 victory over St. Louis on Wednesday night, preventing the Cardinals from gaining a first-place tie in the NL Central.

The Cardinals, who lost for the first time in five games, trailed 2-0, only to go ahead 4-2 with a four-run sixth keyed by Albert Pujols' second three-run homer in as many nights. Consecutive homers by Craig Wilson and Reggie Sanders to start the eighth briefly put the Pirates up 5-4, but Edgar Renteria's RBI single in the ninth tied it at 5 against reliever Julian Tavarez.

Pujols' homer ran his hitting streak to 27 games, the longest in the majors this season.

The Pirates have been using right-hander Mike Lincoln as their closer, but manager Lloyd McClendon stayed with Tavarez (2-3) in the ninth even though he had already pitched two innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Pedro Borbon (0-1) got the first two hitters, but Jason Kendall doubled into the gap in left-center. Manager Tony La Russa then ordered Brian Giles and Sanders intentionally walked, and Simon hit an opposite-field single into left field on an 0-2 pitch to win it. The ball just eluded a diving Edgar Renteria in the hole at shortstop.

Pittsburgh trailed 4-3 entering the eighth, but Sanders hit his 25th homer and Wilson his eighth and second of the game in a span of three pitches by Cal Eldred. Eldred came on after reliever Steve Kline retired all four batters he faced.

Pujols' 34th homer followed Miguel Cairo's RBI double and Eduardo Perez's single.

Pirates starter Brian Meadows took a three-hit shutout into the sixth, only to leave after allowing five consecutive hits, starting with pinch-hitter Kerry Robinson's single.

Pujols' fly ball initially looked like it might not clear the wall on a muggy, 82-degree night, but just as right fielder Sanders appeared to settle under the ball, it carried several rows into the seats.

Pujols' hitting streak is the Cardinals' longest since Ken Boyer's 29-game streak in 1959. Earlier this season, Kenny Lofton, then of the Pirates, and Nomar Garciaparra of the Red Sox had 26-game streaks.

Pujols probably wishes the Cardinals were making a return trip to Pittsburgh this season. Not only is he hitting .456 against the Pirates this season, he has 11 homers and 32 RBIs in 23 career games in PNC Park.

So far, Pujols has hit an important homer in every Cardinals game this week. His eighth-inning shot Sunday night off the Braves' John Smoltz gave the Cardinals a 3-2 victory, and he followed that with first-inning shots in two straight games in Pittsburgh as the Cardinals won Monday and Tuesday.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second against Jeff Fassero on Wilson's first homer of the game. Brian Giles had a run-scoring double in the fifth, and Jeff Reboulet's third straight hit, a double, drove in a run in the sixth against reliever Esteban Yan. Notes: The Pirates might have had a bigger inning in the fifth if Jason Kendall hadn't been thrown out at the plate trying to score on Giles' double. If Kendall had been held at third, the Pirates would have had runners on second and third and Sanders at the plate. ... Second base umpire Chris Guccione left the game because of dehydration in the third inning. ... Reboulet went 3-for-4 after ending an 0-for-20 slump with a pinch-hit single the previous night.