ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brett Myers worked six strong innings and pinch hitters Cory Sullivan and Humberto Quintero hit consecutive RBI singles in a four-run seventh in the Houston Astros' 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.
Brad Penny (3-3) allowed four hits in seven innings with all four runs unearned after shortstop Brendan Ryan bounced a throw to first for an error on Carlos Lee's one-out grounder. Ryan Ludwick had three hits and an RBI for St. Louis.
Myers (2-2) allowed two runs and eight hits in a rematch from April 14 in St. Louis against Penny, a 2-1 victory for St. Louis. He's worked at least six innings in all six starts.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa batted the pitcher ninth for the first time in 14 games in an effort to get leadoff man Skip Schumaker out of a slump. Schumaker was 1 for 4 batting seventh, but replacement leadoff man Colby Rasmus went hitless with three flyouts and a strikeout.
Chris Sampson got Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday on groundouts with two on to end the seventh, and Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence added homers off Jason Motte in the eighth to break it open. Matt Lindstrom finished for his seventh save in seven chances, and first since April 24.
Astros pinch hitters are batting .250 (14 for 56) with 10 RBIs. Sullivan had been 1 for 18 before tying it with an opposite-field single off Penny. Quintero singled on the next pitch in his first pinch-hit opportunity for the lead and Michael Bourn added an RBI infield hit.
The Cardinals missed a chance to blow it open in the third, settling for David Freese's RBI single and a 2-0 lead when Yadier Molina hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Molina had been 4 for 5 with 11 RBIs with the bases loaded.
Bourn, the Houston center fielder who entered tied for the major league lead in assists, earned his sixth of the season when he easily threw out Schumaker trying to score on Penny's one-out line-drive single in the fourth.
Before the game, Bourn appealed a two-game suspension for making contact with an umpire. He had two hits and is 8 for 16 against the Cardinals.
NOTES: Geoff Blum is 11 for 27 against Penny after going 1 for 2 with a hit by pitch, and got a spot start ahead of Pedro Feliz, 6 for 41 (.146) vs. the right-hander. ... Ludwick doubled, singled and walked against Myers, against whom he's 8 for 14 with two homers. Ludwick also is 10 for 16 against the Astros this season with two RBIs. ... The Cardinals' defense entered with an NL-high 37 double plays and added two Tuesday.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.