Cardinals 6, Mets 2
Albert Pujols slammed his 21st home run as visiting St. Louis salvaged the series finale in New York Thursday afternoon, beating the Mets 6-2.
Pujols snapped out an 0-for-10 skid with a first-inning, two-run blast into the second deck in left. The no-doubt homer came after Pujols fouled off five pitches from Jonathon Niese (9-8).
Jake Westbrook (8-4) went eight innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Inducing 14 ground-ball outs among the first 18 batters he retired, Westbrook still has not lost since June 12. Niese fanned seven over six innings but was hurt by two Mets’ errors.
The Cardinals ended a three-game losing streak and avoided being swept by New York for the first time since 2006. The Mets fell back to .500 as they continue to deal with Carlos Beltran trade rumors. Beltran went 0-for-3 with a walk.