Pujols, Cardinals rip Pirates again

The St. Louis star extended his hitting streak to 26 games in the 10-6 win.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates might want to consider signing one of the St. Louis Cardinals' batting practice pitchers. Apparently, they're the only ones fooling Albert Pujols these days.
Pujols and Tino Martinez hit three-run shots off a slumping Josh Fogg in a six-run first inning Tuesday night, and the Cardinals went on a 10-6 victory that pulled them to within one game of the NL Central lead.
Pujols has homered in the first inning in each of the first two games of the four-game series, giving the Cardinals the early lift they've needed to win each night. He had one of the Cardinals' four solo homers in their 6-4 victory Monday.
Agitated during warm-ups
A couple of hours before that game, Pujols became agitated during batting practice when he didn't drive several pitches the way he knows he can.
"I know what I can do when I get my pitch, and I wasn't doing it," Pujols said. "I want to have the best batting practice I can. If they throw some pitches I know I can handle and I don't, I'm going to get frustrated."
Pujols got three hits Tuesday -- he has a major league-high 165 -- to push his average to .370 and the Cardinals' longest hitting streak in 32 years to 26 games.
"I'm taking nothing for granted," Pujols said. "I want to have the same routine for 162 games. You takes things for granted, that's when things start going the wrong way. That's why I try to work hard every day."
It doesn't take much work these days to get a hit off Fogg (6-7), who didn't retire any of the six batters he faced, giving up five hits and six runs. But Martinez couldn't tell from the dugout that Fogg had nothing on his pitches, even after Pujols homered to quickly make it 3-0.
"With Albert, it's hard to judge -- he hits pitchers with good stuff, so you have no idea," said Martinez, who drove in four runs.
Fogg struggles
Fogg, a 12-game winner last season, has been roughed up for 23 earned runs and 35 hits in 211/3 innings while going 1-4 in his last six starts. He is 1-5 with a 10.31 ERA in seven career starts against St. Louis and is 0-2 with a 12.60 ERA in three starts this season.
"It is becoming a concern," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He's not a power pitcher and he needs command of his pitches to be successful. We need to find the problem and fix it and fix it soon."
Maybe the problem is the Pirates keep pitching to Pujols in the first inning. Pujols seems to hit everyone well but he's especially effective in Pittsburgh, where he has 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 22 games.
Brett Tomko (9-7) became the second starter in the series to give up four solo homers but, unlike the Pirates' Kip Wells on Monday, he pitched well enough to win. Tomko lasted six innings despite pitching with a stiff neck, giving up eight hits.
Tomko leads the NL in hits (198) and runs (100) allowed, yet is 7-2 since June 19 and has won four of five starts.