ST. LOUIS, May 26 (UPI) -- Woody Williams pitched six sharp innings to remain undefeated and Scott Rolen and J.D. Drew each had three RBI as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros, 10-5, Monday in the opener of a season-high 13-game homestand.
Williams (7-0) yielded one run and six hits and struck out five batters without a walk. He extended his career-high winning streak to 10 games since a loss at Cincinnati last Aug. 29. He also defeated Houston on the road last Wednesday, 7-4.
The Astros appeared as if they might jump on Williams early after loading the bases with one out in the top of the first inning. But Williams struck out Lance Berkman and got Orlando Merced to fly out to end the threat.
The Cardinals took the lead for good in the bottom of the frame on consecutive two-out RBI doubles by Jim Edmonds and Rolen against Pete Munro (3-3).
St. Louis added an unearned run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Rolen before breaking open the game one frame later. Drew chased Munro with a three-run homer and Rolen made it 7-0 with a run-scoring double against Brandon Puffer.
Munro, who lost to Williams for the second time in six days, surrendered six runs - five earned - and eight hits in just 3 1/3 innings.
St. Louis, which posted its eighth victory in 12 games but just fourth in nine contests against Houston this season, opened up a 10-0 advantage in the fifth on a leadoff homer by Tino Martinez and a two-run double by Pujols.
Houston made the score respectable in the latter innings on an RBI groundout by Brad Ausmus in the sixth, a run-scoring triple by Tripp Cromer against Mike Crudale in the seventh and a three-run homer by Berkman against Gabe Molina in the ninth.
The Astros had been 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position until Berkman's homer.
