ST. LOUIS, April 23 (UPI) -- Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel combined for three homers and five RBI Thursday to lead St. Louis past the New York Mets 12-8, capping a three-game sweep.
Pujols hit a solo homer in the first inning and a two-run shot in the fifth, finishing with four runs, three hits and three RBI. Ankiel had three hits, including a solo homer in the fifth and an RBI double.
Skip Schumaker had two hits and two RBI. Colby Rasmus had three hits and one RBI, while Brendan Ryan and winner Kyle Lohse (3-0) added one RBI each for the Cardinals, who have won seven in a row at home.
New York's Carlos Beltran had three hits, including a three-run homer, Ryan Church had two hits, including a two-run homer, and a run scored on a balk by Lohse in the first.
Starter Livan Hernandez (1-1) took the loss for the Mets, who have lost four straight.
