Cards Nip Padres

ST. LOUIS 6, SAN DIEGO 5

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- With the St. Louis Cardinals down by five runs early in the game, starter Todd Wellemeyer settled down on the mound and Albert Pujols led the comeback. Pujols had three hits and four RBI as the Cardinals overcame a five-run deficit to record their fourth straight win, a 6-5 triumph over the San Diego Padres. St. Louis trailed, 5-0, after two innings but rallied with four runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to take the lead.

Wellemeyer (8-4) bounced back after the rocky start, allowing five runs and five hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, Pujols started the comeback when he lined the first pitch he saw into the gap in left-center field, clearing the bases and cutting the deficit to 5-3. Two batters later, Rick Ankiel hit an RBI single to pull St. Louis within one. In the next inning, Cesar Izturis singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice before Brendan Ryan reached on an error by third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to put runners on the corners. Skip Schumaker tied the game with a groundout to shortstop and, after All-Star Ryan Ludwick walked, Pujols singled off the glove of shortstop Khalil Greene to give St. Louis a 6-5 advantage.

The Padres had a great chance to reclaim the lead in the top of the seventh as they loaded the bases with one out. But Ron Villone struck out All-Star Adrian Gonzalez and got Kouzmanoff to fly out to center. Ryan Franklin pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit and one walk en route to his 14th save. San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the first, when center fielder Ankiel could not handle Gonzalez's line drive, allowing Edgar Gonzalez to score from second. Kouzmanoff followed with a sacrifice fly to double the Padres' advantage. The Padres extended their lead to 5-0 in the top of the second, when Edgar Gonzalez blasted a three-run homer to left off Wellemeyer.

San Diego starter Randy Wolf (6-10) surrendered six runs - four earned - and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, losing for the sixth time in his last seven starts.