St. Louis-Houston: Big Inning Keys 5-4 Cardinal Victory

The St. Louis Cardinals were helped by a huge inning Saturday afternoon. Sunday was no different. The Cardinals put up five runs in the top of the seventh to gain a two-run lead over the Astros, after Houston's slugger Lance Berkman went yard in the third inning.

The resilient Cards have made it a habit of losing the first game of a series then winning the final two. Although the Cardinals were helped by costly Astros' errors, putting up a five-spot in an inning is impressive nonetheless.

The scoring started with outfielder Brian Barton's sac fly, plating Ryan Ludwick. After Troy Glaus scored on a wild pitch, shortstop Brendan Ryan stepped into the box and drilled a two-RBI single. The scoring came to a close with Joe Mather reaching safely on an error by centerfielder Michael Bourn.

This game did see some negatives for the Cardinals. After coming back from a calf strain, first baseman Albert Pujols has been struggling at the plate, where he is zero for his last seven.

Kyle Lohse looked good, despite his three-run jack to Berkman in the third. Lohse mixed up his pitches quite well, I thought, going six strong innings while throwing 90 pitches.

Ryan has stepped up for the Cardinals on a variety of occasions this season. Although he had just one hit tonight, it proved to be necessary if the Cardinals wanted to claim victory. His defensive skills are as impressive as can be, coming from a rookie.

The relieving crew for the Cardinals looked spot-on tonight. Three members of the bullpen received holds, and one, Ryan Franklin, earned the save. Setting aside Ron Villone's hiccup, the bullpen preserved the two-run lead in a hostile environment at Minute Maid Park.

Ludwick's batting average has dropped pretty quickly, as well. The breakout season has slowed as of late to a .305 pace, but he still has 14 HRs and 46 RBIs.

Staying two-and-a-half games behind the Chicago Cubs is important, as the Cardinals do not want to let the Cubs get a sizable lead early on in the season.