Cardinals overpower Pirates

ST. LOUIS

Albert Pujols hit his 24th homer and finished with three hits, helping Jeff Suppan get his first win since September and leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an 11-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

The NL Central-leading Cardinals improved to 11-5 since the All-Star break and remained a half-game ahead of Cincinnati, which beat Atlanta 5-2.

St. Louis also strengthened its rotation before the game, acquiring Jake Westbrook from Cleveland in a three-team deal. Westbrook is expected to join the team today and start Monday against Houston.

Suppan (1-6) allowed five hits in 51/3 scoreless innings. He also struck out five in his first victory since Sept. 19 for Milwaukee.

Colby Rasmus hit a two-run homer and an RBI single for the Cardinals, who used five relievers to finish it out. It Rasmus’ career-high 17th homer and first since June 27.

Jeff Clement homered in the eighth for Pittsburgh, which made a handful of trades before the non-waiver deadline during another difficult season. Jose Tabata went 3 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

The Pirates sent left-handed reliever Javier Lopez to San Francisco and closer Octavio Dotel to the Los Angeles Dodgers, gaining a total of six players whose rights they control for several years. They also acquired catcher Chris Snyder from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a five-player swap.

Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen (1-5) issued six walks while yielding four runs, three earned, and six hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Clement and McCutchen were recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day.

St. Louis scored at least one run in six innings. Suppan hit an RBI single in the second, Rasmus scored on first baseman Garrett Jones’ throwing error in the fourth and Pujols connected in the fifth, hitting a 2-0 pitch into the bleachers in right-center to give him 72 RBIs.

Matt Holliday and Skip Schumaker had key hits in St. Louis’ five-run eighth. Holliday had a two-run double and Schumaker drove in a pair with a single.

Former Cardinals manager and 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Whitey Herzog was honored in a pregame ceremony in which his No. 24 was retired.

Tabata is batting .373 (25 for 67) since the All-Star break.

FRIDAY

Brendan Ryan’s broken-bat infield hit in the 10th inning drove in the game’s lone run and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 on Friday night.

Chris Carpenter allowed five hits over eight innings for the Cardinals, who have won eight of nine at home and regained first place in the NL Central by a half-game over Cincinnati. St. Louis is 35-16 at home and rebounded after a 2-5 trip.

Ryan Ludwick opened the 10th with a double off Lopez (2-2), his first pinch-hit in nine at-bats this season, and advanced on a sacrifice. The infield was in for Ryan’s grounder and second baseman Neil Walker knocked it down with a lunge to his left but then bobbled the ball as Ludwick, who had hesitated, sprinted for home.