ATLANTA, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Albert Pujols' two solo home runs and Brendan Ryan's two-run triple Sunday propelled St. Louis to a 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Matt Holliday scored twice for the Cardinals, who split their four-game series with the Braves and pulled within six games of first-place Cincinnati in the National League Central after the Reds lost to the Pirates.
The win went to Cards starters Kyle Lohse, (3-7), who managed to hold Atlanta to two runs through 5 1/3 innings despite giving up nine hits and a walk. He helped his own cause with an RBI and a run scored.
The Braves' offense came from Nate McLouth, who hit a solo homer and scored twice, and Alex Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Tim Hudson (15-8) gave up six runs on nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five innings.
Atlanta fell a game behind Philadelphia for first place in the NL East after the Phillies won earlier in the day. The Braves hold a one-game edge over San Diego and San Francisco in the NL wild card race.
