Most Awesome St. Louis Cardinals smashed the Cubs 8-2! NO..no....no....you don't want to throw a first pitch fastball to Albert Pujols right down the middle with bases loaded! He killed it! Mitchell Boggs nice job...Cubs are looking quite vulnerable right now especially the bullpen. Cards now have a four game lead on the Scrubs.
Slugger passes 1,000 RBIs; rookie allows unearned run
By B.J. Rains / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols hit his second grand slam of the season and rookie Mitchell Boggs gave up one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings as the Cardinals beat the Cubs, 8-2, on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium for their ninth consecutive home win.
Pujols, who now leads the National League with seven home runs and 25 RBIs, eclipsed the 1,000-RBI mark for his career with a booming 441-foot shot to left in the seventh that turned a two-run Cardinals lead into a 7-1 advantage. Pujols' four RBIs gave him 1,002 for his career -- making him the 23rd active player to pass 1,000 -- and he passed Ken Boyer for fifth place on the Cardinals' all-time list.
The Cardinals' 10-2 home record is their best start since 1968, when they started 10-1 at home en route to the NL pennant.
Boggs, making his first start of the year after making eight appearances and six starts in 2008, took a shutout into the fifth inning before a throwing error by Brian Barden allowed Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall to reach base and extend the inning. Ryan Theriot followed with a single down the left-field line to put Chicago on the board.
Boggs allowed six hits and one walk and struck out three. He will likely make a second start for the Cardinals on Thursday in Atlanta.
Khalil Greene gave St. Louis the lead in the fourth with a double that scored Ryan Ludwick from third. Barden followed later in the inning with a line drive to left that scored Greene and catcher Yadier Molina to put the Cardinals up 3-0.
The Cardinals improved to a Major League-best 13-5 on the season.
