Cardinals sweep again, third time this year

By R.B. FALLSTROM\AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer, and David Eckstein and Mark Grudzielanek each had three hits to help the St. Louis Cardinals complete a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with an 8-5 victory Sunday.

Matt Morris (2-0) worked five effective innings in his second start since shoulder surgery for the Cardinals, who have won their last seven home games against the Astros - including the 2004 NL championship series. The NL Central leaders have won nine of 10 overall and swept the Astros at home for the first time since May 21-23, 2002.

Manager Tony La Russa earned his 2,126th victory, breaking a tie with Joe McCarthy for fifth on the career list.

The Cardinals battered Brandon Backe (1-1), who threw eight shutout innings against them in Game 5 of the NLCS, for eight runs and 13 hits in five innings. They were on him from the start with four extra-base hits in the first six at-bats during a four-run first, including Pujols' fifth homer and consecutive triples by Scott Rolen and Reggie Sanders.

Pujols' homer, a shot to straightaway center in the first, was estimated at 439 feet. Eckstein doubled twice and had two RBIs, and Grudzielanek had three singles, scored twice and drove in a run.

Rolen had an RBI single in the second, Eckstein and Larry Walker drove in runs in the third for a 6-2 lead and Eckstein got another run-scoring single in the fifth.

Morris gave up two runs and five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. In two starts since coming off the 15-day disabled list, the Cardinals' former ace has 11 strikeouts and two walks in 11 innings.

Jason Isringhausen got four outs for his seventh save in seven chances.

One of the runs off Morris was a gift, when Walker inexplicably stopped running after Jeff Bagwell's fly to right in the third and it fell in for a double. Bagwell, after a day off on Saturday, also had an RBI single in the first for Houston.

The Astros took advantage of wildness by seldom-used reliever Jimmy Journell and Eckstein's throwing error on a potential double-play ball for three runs in the sixth, cutting the gap to 8-5. Brad Ausmus walked with the bases loaded for the first run in the inning, and another run scored when Eckstein botched the relay to second on Willy Taveras' easy grounder.