Astros 5, Cardinals 4 (10)
Angel Sanchez pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning on a squeeze bunt as the Houston Astros put a dent in the playoff hopes of the visiting St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-4 win Monday.
The Cardinals squandered an opportunity to make up ground on the Atlanta Braves, who lost to the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the evening. St. Louis remains one game behind Atlanta in the National League wild-card standings with two to play.
Octavio Dotel (5-4) was working his second inning of relief in the 10th and allowed a pinch-hit double to Brian Bogusevic leading off the frame. Jason Bourgeois squared to sacrifice and Dotel made an error on the play, putting runners at first and third.
Sanchez wasted no time challenging Dotel’s fielding again, squaring around on the first pitch and getting Bogusevic home.
Mark Melancon (8-4) picked up the win.
Houston held a 4-2 lead into the eighth but watched it slip away as Albert Pujols led off with a single and Matt Holliday drew a walk. Pujols and Holliday went for a double steal off Wesley Wright and came in to knot it at 4 when Lance Berkman knocked a double into left.