way that Albert Pujols somehow fouled off. On the next pitch, the St. Louis slugger smashed a changeup off the windows of the Royals Hall of Fame in left for a grand slam.
Sure, the pitch was a little up, but even the best hitters aren’t supposed to do that.
“The speed differential, for a guy to be on a pitch like that, it doesn’t happen,” Meche said. “He’s one of those elite guys.”
And, boy, does he like hitting against the Royals.
Pujols finished off a three-day romp in Kansas City with two homers and six RBIs, helping the Cardinals rout the Royals 12-5 Sunday to give manager Tony La Russa career win No. 2,500.
Pujols made a mockery of Kansas City pitching in his return to the town where he went to high school, hitting three homers and driving in 10 runs in a three-game sweep.
The two-time NL MVP had four hits Sunday and delivered the decisive blow in the Cardinals’ eight-run fourth inning, pounding his club record-tying third grand slam of the season. He also had a run-scoring single in the first and added his major league-leading 26th homer – and eighth in 10 games – in the fifth to put the Cardinals up 12-4.
That raises Pujols’ average to .400 in 27 career games at Kauffman Stadium, with 12 homers, 36 RBIs and nine doubles.
y and friends here, but every day is the same routine.”
The Cardinals roughed up Meche (4-6) early and had 13 hits to help Adam Wainwright (8-4) win his third straight start even though he gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings.
La Russa joined Connie Mack (3,831) and John McGraw (2,763) as the only managers with 2,500 career victories. La Russa is 2,500-2,177 in 31 years as a big league manager with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis.
“You’ve got to be around a long time and in great situations, and that’s what I’ve been,” said La Russa, who has 1,180 wins in 14 seasons with the Cardinals.
Interleague
Orioles 2, Phillies 1
At Philadelphia, Brian Roberts had the decisive hit for the second straight day, a tiebreaking single in the eighth off Cole Hamels (4-3), and Baltimore matched a season high with its fifth consecutive victory.
The Phillies have lost a season-worst six straight. Philadelphia fell to 13-22 at home – the Phillies are a major league-best 23-9 on the road.
Jeremy Guthrie (5-7) tossed three-hit ball over seven innings to win for the first time since May 25.
Red Sox 6, Braves 5
At Boston, Nick Green homered just inside the Pesky Pole in right field on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth to win it. David Ortiz hit his sixth homer, a two-run shot.
tcher Eric O’Flaherty were all ejected by plate umpire Bill Hohn. It was the 145th ejection for Cox, extending his major league record.
Marlins 6, Yankees 5
At Miami, Hanley Ramirez and Cody Ross homered, and Florida held off a late rally to beat the struggling Yankees after CC Sabathia left early with an injury.
Sabathia came out in the second with tightness in his left biceps and the Marlins took advantage, handing New York its fourth loss in five games.
Matt Lindstrom allowed a two-run triple to Brett Gardner with two outs in the ninth, then got Derek Jeter to ground out for his 14th save in 16 chances.
Dodgers 5, Angels 3
At Anaheim, Calif., James Loney hit a two-run homer that was upheld by video review and Clayton Kershaw (4-5) pitched seven shutout innings to help the Dodgers beat John Lackey (2-3) and take two of three in the Freeway Series. Jonathan Broxton got four outs for his 17th save.
Tigers 3, Brewers 2
At Detroit, Brandon Inge hit a three-run homer and Justin Verlander (8-3) pitched into the eighth.
Rays 10, Mets 6
At New York, B.J. Upton homered and matched a career high with four RBIs as Tampa Bay broke out of its offensive slumber. Upton and Evan Longoria each had four hits for the Rays. The Mets have won only one series this month, against last-place Washington.
White Sox 4, Reds 1
pitched seven shutout innings, improving to 19-6 in interleague play. Chicago is 14-3 against the Reds, winning 10 of its last 11.
Blue Jays 9, Nationals 4
At Washington, Toronto avoided the unsavory distinction of becoming the first team to be swept by the lowly Nationals, getting five RBIs from Lyle Overbay and a solid outing by Ricky Romero (4-3). The loss snapped a season-high four-game winning streak for Washington.
Astros 4, Twins 1
At Minneapolis, Wandy Rodriguez (6-6) pitched two-hit ball over seven innings for his first win in more than a month. Houston has won six of its past seven series.
Cubs 6, Indians 2
At Chicago, Randy Wells (1-3) pitched into the seventh for his first major league win. Geovany Soto homered and Jake Fox drove in three runs in the Cubs’ fourth straight victory. Derrek Lee extended his hitting streak to 18 games, tying a career best. Cleveland has dropped a season-high six straight.
Padres 4, Athletics 1
At San Diego, Kevin Correia (4-5) carried a shutout into the seventh and combined with three relievers on a two-hitter. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run homer and Heath Bell got his 19th save in 20 chances. The Padres are 6-26 against AL teams since June 20, 2007.
Giants 3, Rangers 2
es sweep.
Zito outpitched Kevin Millwood (7-5) and didn’t allow a hit until Andruw Jones’ two-run homer with none out in the seventh. Brian Wilson got his 19th save. It was San Francisco’s seventh straight win over Texas dating to 2001 and 11th in a row in the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.
Zito is 18-5 against the Rangers, his most wins against any opponent.
Mariners 3, Diamondbacks 2
At Seattle, Tony Clark dropped a routine throw to first base, allowing Ronny Cedeno to score the winning run with two outs in the ninth. The Mariners swept the three-game series and climbed above .500 for the first time since May 7.
National League
Rockies 5, Pirates 4
At Denver, Clint Barmes homered, drove in two runs and scored two more as surging Colorado completed a sweep for its 16th victory in 17 games. The Rockies are 18-5 under manager Jim Tracy, who took over when Clint Hurdle was fired. Huston Street earned his 16th save in 17 chances.
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