Pujols powers Cardinals to win
ST. LOUIS Albert Pujols homered for the fifth time in four games and tied his career high with five RBIs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Pujols, 9-for-18 with 11 RBIs in the last four games for the Cardinals, also scored his NL-leading 100th and 101st runs. He has scored 100 or more runs in each of his first four major league seasons.
Scott Rolen drove in two runs for the Cardinals, giving him a National League-leading 104 RBIs.
The Cardinals have won 16 of 20 and lead the NL Central by 14 games, their biggest advantage since they were 14 games in front on Sept. 3, 1968, when they won a pennant.
Braves 5, Padres 4
SAN DIEGO Chipper Jones hit his 300th career home run and Mike Hampton pitched seven strong innings and drove in a run in the Braves' win.
Jones homered to lead off the third inning and became the fourth player in franchise history to reach 300, joining Hank Aaron (733), Eddie Mathews (493) and Dale Murphy (371).
Marlins 4, Dodgers 2
LOS ANGELES Miguel Cabrera homered and Mike Lowell singled home the go-ahead run against reliever Darren Dreifort (1-4) in the eighth inning, helping the Marlins beat the Dodgers in Paul Lo Duca's return to Los Angeles.
Pirates 8, Diamondbacks 7
PHOENIX Daryle Ward tied a career high with six RBIs and fell a single short of hitting for the cycle for the second time this season, and Jack Wilson hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning.
In his first game since coming off the disabled list, Ward went 3-for-6 but struck out with the bases loaded in the 10th in a bid to join Babe Herman of the 1931 Brooklyn Dodgers as the only players to hit for the cycle twice in a season.
Giants 8, Expos 5
SAN FRANCISCO Pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and San Francisco took over the NL wild-card lead with their fifth straight victory.
Jason Christiansen (3-2) got the final two outs in the eighth for the win and Ledee managed just his third hit in 21 at-bats since joining the Giants in a July 30 trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.