Albert Pujols hit his 31 st home run of the year and Todd Wellemeyer went eight innings and battled after two home runs to pick up his 12 th win of the year as the Cardinals keep pace in the NL Wild Card with a 5-3 win over the Florida Marlins.
Pujols’ shot came in the first inning off Marlins’ starter Gregg Olsen. The Marlins took a 3-2 lead in the fourth when Dan Uggla hit his 30 th home run of the year with a man on. This came an inning after Josh Willingham hit his 11 th in the third.
The Cardinals added single runs in the fourth, sixth, and eighth and Wellemeyer settled down from that point on allowing just five runs on the night while striking out seven. Randy Flores pitched to one batter in the ninth and Ryan Franklin finished off the gave getting the final two outs for his 15 th save.
The Cardinals remain six back in the Wild Card, with Philadelphia separating St. Louis and Milwaukee.
