Astros' bullpen fails to deliver again

Reliever Dan Miceli couldn't keep the score tied in the eighth inning.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Pete Munro held St. Louis' powerful lineup in check, and star closer Brad Lidge was warming up in the bullpen with the score tied heading into the eighth inning.
It was a scenario the Houston Astros had to like. But their bullpen came up with another woeful effort.
For the second straight night and the fourth time this postseason, Houston's shaky relievers were smacked around late. Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen homered off Dan Miceli in the eighth to lead the Cardinals over Houston 6-4 Thursday night, giving the Cardinals a commanding 2-0 lead in the NL championship series.
Tied at 4 in the bottom of the eighth, Astros manager Phil Garner sent Miceli to the mound with hopes that Houston could go another inning before turning to Lidge.
"If we got through the eighth inning still tied," Garner said, "I was going to use him for a couple of innings."
No such luck.
Back-to-back homers
Just four pitches into Miceli's outing, Pujols and Rolen had connected back-to-back to give the Cardinals a 6-4 lead.
The sellout crowd of 52,347 at Busch Stadium exploded into cheers after spending much of the night eerily quiet as Munro pitched 42/3 solid innings.
Miceli showed little emotion, watching the flight of the homers and then staring ahead, stone-faced, as Pujols and Rolen took triumphant trots around the bases.
Lidge watched the collapse from afar, shaking his head when Rolen's homer plunked down in the Astros' bullpen. Houston's dugout, which only moments earlier was buzzing with activity, fell silent.
Garner's decision
Garner made a curious decision to go with Miceli instead of Lidge, because since the Cardinals' third, fourth and fifth hitters -- Pujols, Rolen and Jim Edmonds -- were set to come to the plate in the eighth.
"I really believe if we're going to go anywhere, you have to have those other guys pitch and win, too," Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell said. "We're going to need contributions from everybody."
Afterward, Pujols seemed surprised that Lidge didn't come into the game earlier.
"Lidge has had success against us in the past three years, but, you know, they have a great bullpen," Pujols said. "I think if we don't score right there in the eighth inning ... they want to save Lidge for the ninth inning."