The Cardinals had three games at home with the National League’s worst road team. They lost two of those three games. Colorado hit four home runs, all off starter Sterling Hitchcock, in a 9-4 over St. Louis on Thursday. Hitchcock lost his first game in a Cardinal uniform. He gave up five runs in 3.1 innings. The Rockies roughed up Cardinal pitching for nine runs on 18 hits. The Redbirds managed just seven hits off Colorado’s hurlers. Miguel Cairo hit a two-run homer for St. Louis. Despite the loss, the Cardinals remained 2.5 games back of N.L. Central leader Houston.