News
Pujols reaches 100-RBI mark in Cards win
As Wainwright stifles Bucs, slugger reaches milestone
By George Von Benko / Special to MLB.com
08/08/09 11:52 PM ET
PITTSBURGH -- The Cardinals got a solid pitching performance from right-hander Adam Wainwright as St. Louis defeated Pittsburgh, 5-3, sending the Pirates to their seventh straight loss in front a sellout crowd of 38,593 fans on Saturday night at PNC Park.Meanwhile, Albert Pujols reached 100 RBIs on the season when he came up with a bases-loaded double in the sixth, marking nine straight 100-RBI seasons to start his career. Only Hall of Famer Al Simmons has more 100-RBI seasons at the start of a career with 11.
"Obviously it's very special," Pujols said. "God has allowed me to keep myself healthy and to do that. It's not easy; it's not easy to do it for one year and nine years in a row, it's pretty special."
Wainwright tossed 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run and seven hits. He recorded six strikeouts and notched the win, upping his record to 13-7.
"I thought Wainwright today was at a real good pace, and I thought his arm had a lot of life, thought he made a ton of good pitches," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I thought the ball was really coming out of his hand good."
"Wainwright is not real easy to hit off of," Pirates manager John Russell said. "He was tough tonight. The guys battled. We had the one bad inning with too many walks. The bases loaded with Pujols up is not a very good sign."
Pirates right-hander Charlie Morton lasted five innings and surrendered one run on seven hits. He was tagged with the loss, falling to 2-5 on the season.
The Cardinals finally broke through against Morton in the top of the fifth. Matt Holliday delivered a two-out single off the glove of Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche, knocking in Colby Rasmus for a 1-0 lead.
St. Louis then torched the beleaguered Pirates 'pen for four runs in the top of the sixth inning to break the game open against right-hander Chris Bootcheck. Pujols cleared the bases with a double after Bootcheck had issued a bases-loaded walk.
"It wasn't a bad pitch, in that situation," Bootcheck opined. "I'm trying to get a ground ball, something going down in the strike zone. He's a great hitter. Nothing much more you can say."
On the season, Pujols is now 8-for-10 with 27 RBIs with the bases loaded.
"What an amazing run of production with the bases loaded," La Russa observed.
"You guys can figure it out, but I don't change my approach," Pujols said. "My at-bats [with the bases loaded] are like every other single at-bat. I try to do everything I can to give one hundred percent and try and help my team out. There's nothing special about the bases being loaded. It's special because I have come through so many times, but I don't change my approach at all."
The Pirates merely nicked Wainwright, scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Delwyn Young.
"I felt good tonight," Wainwright said. "They've got a good, tough lineup over there -- a bunch of guys that you don't know anything about, just all trying to make an impression. You've got to make the pitches. They've got some talented guys over there, that leadoff hitter is going to be something."
Ronny Cedeno hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Cardinals reliever Jason Mott for the final margin, and Ryan Franklin came in to get the final out, picking up his 26th save.
It was the second successive win for the Cards, and the victory put them 10 games over .500 for the first time since May 1.
"That's too long of a time -- we've got too talented of a team, especially now," Wainwright observed. "The thing now is to get to the next level, and keep winning games and try to spread the gap here between second place."
"We won the series tonight," Pujols said. "We want to come in tomorrow and try and sweep the series."
George Von Benko is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
