Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Jake Westbrook retired the first nine batters he faced as the Cardinals beat New York 6-2 to avoid a three-game sweep.

Westbrook (8-4) picked up 17 outs on groundballs, including two double plays, and allowed only four hits and two runs in eight innings. He walked one and struck out three, leading the Cardinals to only their second win since the All-Star break in a quick 2 hours, 7 minutes on a day when midday temps were in the 90’s.

The Cardinals had just seven hits on the day, but took advantage of two Mets errors in the fifth inning to add three more runs on the board.