Sports

NL: 30 a guarantee from Cards' Pujols

Associated Press
Published August 6, 2005

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ST. LOUIS - The Atlanta Braves appreciated Albert Pujols' milestone home run a lot more than he did.

Pujols became the first player to hit 30 home runs in each of his first five seasons, helping Mark Mulder and the Cardinals end John Smoltz's eight-game winning streak with an 11-3 victory on Friday night.

"You don't know how good he is until you sit in the dugout," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He looks deadly."

Smoltz lost for the first time since June 6, allowing five runs and six hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two intentional walks. He had a 2.05 ERA during the streak, which had been tied with Cardinals 16-game winner Chris Carpenter for the longest in the league. He pitched at least seven innings in nine of 10 starts.

Pujols hit a two-run shot in the first for his 190th homer since breaking in with the Cardinals in 2001. His total of 160 over the first four seasons was second behind Ralph Kiner's 168 from 1946-49. His five-year total is tied for second with Eddie Mathews, 25 behind Kiner.

The Cardinals retrieved the ball from a fan in the leftfield stands in exchange for a ball autographed by Pujols. Not that Pujols thought it was a big deal.

"If I can stay healthy, I know I'm capable of doing that," Pujols said. "So, I don't think about it. The thing I want is a championship, that's what I want to appreciate at the end of my career."

Manager Tony La Russa appreciates it now.

"He is a classic high-average hitter because he takes a relentless approach every at-bat," La Russa said. "Every at-bat he's the same way. He battles the great pitchers, he battles the real good ones, the good ones, the ones that are trying to make it."

Pujols is 5-for-12 against Smoltz with two homers. Smoltz said the fastball that Pujols punished "was a terrible pitch, just a flat-out terrible pitch. ...

"Sometimes 90 percent of the guys you might get away with it once in a while," Smoltz said. "You're not getting away with it with him. He's dominant, he really is."

PADRES 6, NATIONALS 5: Nationals starter Livan Hernandez tossed a glove, cap and jacket into the stands after being lifted in the sixth inning, and host Washington went on to lose on an unearned run in the ninth.

It was Hernandez's second display of frustration in 21/2 weeks; he spoke vaguely about contemplating knee surgery and being angry at someone or something after a July 20 loss to Colorado.

Still, when he left Friday's game, he was in line for the victory because backup catcher Gary Bennett put the Nationals ahead 5-4 with a two-run single in the fifth off Woody Williams.

METS 9, CUBS 5: Mike Cameron and Cliff Floyd each had two-run hits in a six-run second, and host New York had 14 singles. Despite the return of Nomar Garciaparra and Kerry Wood from injuries, Chicago lost for the sixth time in eight games and dropped below .500 (54-55) for the first time since July 10.

GIANTS 4, ASTROS 0: Jason Schmidt pitched eight shutout innings, Lance Niekro hit a two-run homer and host San Francisco handed Andy Pettitte his first loss in nearly seven weeks.

BREWERS 3, PHILLIES 1 (10): Ben Sheets pitched nine dominant innings and visiting Milwaukee took advantage of two Philadelphia errors on the same hit in the 10th. The Phillies' Bobby Abreu tied it at 1 when he led off the seventh with a homer to right.

ROCKIES 6, D'BACKS 4: Lance Cormier's errant throw to third in the ninth allowed Garrett Atkins to score the go-ahead run for visiting Colorado. Cormier pounced on pinch-hitter Eddy Garabito's sacrifice but threw wide to Alex Cintron at third.

DODGERS 12, PIRATES 6: Olmedo Saenz homered while driving in a career-high six and visiting Los Angeles bounced back from a shutout loss with three home runs.

MARLINS 5, REDS 1: Rookie Jason Vargas shut down the league's highest-scoring team and Miguel Cabrera and Alex Gonzalez homered for visiting Florida.

[Last modified August 6, 2005, 01:43:02]