NEW YORK, July 21 (UPI) -- Jake Westbrook scattered four hits over eight innings and Albert Pujols hit a home run Thursday in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-2 win over the New York Mets.
Westbrook (8-4) gave up both runs while allowing four hits and one walk. He struck out three.
St. Louis got to Jon Niese (9-8) for five runs -- three earned -- on five hits in six innings. Jon Jay had two hits and was among the six different Cardinals who scored runs.
Pujols staked Westbrook to an early 2-0 lead with a one-out home run in the first inning that went off the facade of the deck beyond left field. It drove in Jay and was his 21st home run this season.
Jose Reyes tripled and scored on a ground out in the fourth to pull the Mets within 2-1 but St. Louis came back with three runs the next inning, with two runs -- one on an error -- scoring on Jay's single.
Jason Pridie singed in a run for New York in the eighth but Skip Schumaker's RBI single in the ninth made the final four-run difference.
