NATIONAL LEAGUE St. Louis keeping hopes alive

The Cardinals pulled past Houston in 13 innings.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols homered in the 13th inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 3-2 Saturday, keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.
Fernando Vina had three hits and a walk for the Cardinals, who snapped a five-game losing streak against the Astros. They had lost the previous four by a combined score of 28-7.
Jason Simontacchi (9-5) allowed two walks and struck out one in two innings.
The Cardinals left eight runners on base in extra innings -- four reached on intentional walks. The Astros went to a five-man infield with the bases loaded and one out in the 12th and Joe Girardi grounded out to center fielder Craig Biggio, playing on the grass in front of second base.
Pujols ended it with his 43rd homer, lining an 0-1 pitch from Dan Miceli (1-3) over the left-field wall with one out in the 13th. It was the second game-winning homer of Pujols' career, the other coming on July 12 against the Padres.
HOUSTONST. LOUIS
abrhbiabrhbi
Biggio cf5110Vina 2b5030
Blum 3b5020Mrrero rf5000
Bgwell 1b4000DeJean p0000
JKent 2b6012Hart ph1000
Brkmn lf3000Stcchi p1000
Dotel p0000Pujols lf5111
JVzcno ph1000JDrew cf4021
BWgnr p0000Rolen 3b5010
Ensbrg ph1000TMrtnz 1b6000
DMiceli p0000Rnteria ss4110
Hidalgo rf5010Widger c3000
Asmus c5010Rbnson rf1000
AEvrtt ss5000Tguchi rf1000
Rdding p2110Tomko p2100
Stone p0000OPlmro ph0000
Gallo p0000EduPrz ph1000
Merced ph1010Eldred p0000
Porter pr0000Isrnghs p0000
Lidge p0000Cairo ph0000
Lane lf1000Mtheny c1010
Mlskey ph1000Edmnd pr0000
Brntlett lf0000Girardi c1000
Totals45282Totals46392
Houston0020000000000--2
St. Louis0010010000001--3
One out when winning run scored.
E--JKent (10), Rolen (13). DP--St. Louis 1. LOB--Houston 12, St. Louis 17. 2B--Hidalgo (42), JDrew (11), Renteria (46). HR--Pujols (43). SB--Ausmus (5), Rolen (12). CS--EduPerez (2). S--Blum, AEverett, Vina.
IPHRERBBSO
Houston
Redding541133
Stone2-311000
Gallo1-300000
Lidge100011
Dotel200014
BWagner220031
DMiceli L,1-31 1-321121
St. Louis
Tomko652226
Eldred210010
Isringhausen110001
DeJean210014
Stcchi W,9-5200021
WP--Redding, BWagner. Umpires--Home, Eric Cooper; First, Tim Timmons; Second, Mike Reilly; Third, Bill Hohn. T--4:13. A--44,878.
Expos 4, Mets 3
NEW YORK -- Todd Zeile hit a home run in the 10th inning, as Montreal handed New York its seventh straight loss.
Zeile homered off Mike Stanton (2-7), keeping Montreal mathematically alive in the NL playoff race.
The stumbling Mets have lost 15 of 16. They also dropped seven straight to Philadelphia and Florida earlier this month.
Zeile hit his fifth homer for the Expos since joining the team Aug. 20. He had been released by the New York Yankees. The ex-Met batted .210 with six home runs and 23 RBIs in 66 games for the Yankees earlier this season.
Chad Cordero (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. Rocky Biddle worked a hitless 10th for his 32nd save.
MONTREALNEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
EChvez cf4012Cedeno rf4000
Vidro 2b5000McEwg 2b5020
HMateo 2b0000Piazza c5010
OCbera ss5010TClark 1b3110
VGrero rf4010Rdman pr0000
WCdero 1b3111Stanton p0000
Cllway lf3110JPhllps ph1000
Vtiello ph1000TPerez lf4030
Biddle p0000Wggntn 3b5211
Zeile 3b5221Vlndia ss3000
Schndr c3000Duncan cf4032
LHrndz p3010Hilman p1000
CCrdro p0000MWtsn ph1000
Macias lf1000Wheelr p0000
JoFrco p0000
RGnzlz ph1000
Wthers p0000
Scutaro 2b0000
Totals37484Totals373113
Montreal0300000001--4
New York0102000000--3
E--Wigginton (16). DP--Montreal 1, New York 1. LOB--Montreal 11, New York 10. 2B--EnChavez (24), OCabrera (45), TPerez (19). HR--WCordero (15), Zeile (5). S--LHernandez, Scutaro.
IPHRERBBSO
Montreal
LHernandez8103339
CCordero W,1-0110010
Biddle S,32100011
New York
Heilman443343
Wheeler110010
JoFranco110011
Weathers200012
Stanton L,2-7221102
Umpires--Home, Alfonso Marquez; First, Jeff Nelson; Second, Tim Tschida; Third, Mike Fichter. T--3:25. A--37,294.
Padres 11, Rockies 3
DENVER -- Gary Bennett drove in five runs, and Phil Nevin homered and had three RBIs to lead San Diego.
Bennett, a former Rockie, was 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBIs. Nevin, who missed the first 102 games of the year with a dislocated shoulder, was 2-for-4 with his 12th home run for the Padres, who won for the second time in nine games.
Brian Lawrence (9-15) pitched 71/3 innings and had two hits in San Diego's six-run seventh inning. He earned his fourth win in his last six starts.
SAN DIEGOCOLORADO
abrhbiabrhbi
RVazqz 3b4111Ozuna 2b3000
Loretta 2b6121Norton 3b1010
BGiles lf3110Stynes 3b4000
Nevin 1b4223JSnchz p0000
Nady rf3111Helton 1b3000
Kotsay cf5210PrWlsn cf4111
Greene ss5110LWalkr rf4120
Bennett c5135Payton lf4122
Lwrnce p4120CJhson c4000
Lnbrnk p0000Uribe ss3010
MMtws p0000Vance p1010
Bchnan ph1010MaSwy ph1000
Beck p0000Cook p0000
Stark p0000
Bllhorn 2b1000
Totals40111511Totals33383
San Diego020020601--11
Colorado000020100--3
E--RVazquez (14). DP--San Diego 3, Colorado 1. LOB--San Diego 9, Colorado 4. 2B--Loretta (28), Nady (17), Kotsay (27), Bennett 2 (13), LWalker (25). 3B--Greene (1). HR--Nevin (12), PrWilson (35), Payton (27). SF--RVazquez.
IPHRERBBSO
San Diego
Lwrnce W,9-157 1-373315
Linebrink1-300000
MMatthews1-300000
Beck110000
Colorado
Vance L,1-2564422
Cook146610
Stark220011
JSanchez131111
Cook pitched to 6 batters in the 7th. HBP--by Cook (Nady). Umpires--Home, Gerry Davis; First, Jack Samuels; Second, Mark Carlson; Third, Paul Nauert. T--2:28. A--28,028.