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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Rookie Albert Pujols has become the center of
the St. Louis Cardinals' offense.
|  | | Albert Pujols had his third straight three RBI game for the Cardinals. |
Pujols had three RBIs for the third straight game, hitting a
three-run homer in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Expos on
Wednesday night.
"That's what you want to do every time you come to the
ballpark," Pujols said. "You want to have a big day every time.
"It won't happen, but you try to do it. You try to get four
knocks if you can and at the same time help the team out."
Pujols, 21, leads the Cardinals with seven homers and 22 RBIs
and is batting .375. His drive to straightaway center off Britt
Reames (2-1) barely cleared the wall and gave St. Louis a 4-2 lead
in the fourth.
In the last three games, Pujols has three homers, two doubles
and nine RBIs.
"Mr. Pujols was huge again," said teammate Bobby Bonilla,
whose locker is next door. "St. Louis' finest is emerging."
Jim Edmonds was 3-for-3 for St. Louis with an RBI single in the
first. He singled and scored in the fourth, doubled in the sixth
and walked in the eighth, raising his average to .377.
Andy Benes (1-1) struggled through five innings, walking five
and throwing 104 pitches. He allowed two runs and four hits and the
Expos stranded a season-high 13 runners, including a combined seven
in the second, third and fourth innings.
"I don't know how they only scored two runs," Benes said.
"Fortunately, I made good pitches when they had guys in scoring
position. I didn't make good pitches before they got in scoring
position."
Benes, starting for the first time in 10 days, beat Montreal for
the first time since Aug. 17, 1998, with Arizona and raised his
record against the Expos to 7-11.
Gene Stechschulte got Michael Barrett to pop up with the bases
loaded for the final out in the seventh and finished with one-hit
relief for his first career save.
"Old time save there," manager Tony La Russa said. "That's
Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers action."
Reames allowed four runs in five innings in his first appearance
in St. Louis since the offseason trade that also sent Fernando
Tatis to the Expos and pitchers Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline to
the Cardinals.
"I made one bad pitch and it cost us," Reames said. "I can't
let their best hitter right now beat us."
Barrett and Vladimir Guerrero had run-scoring groundouts in the
second and third, the latter giving Montreal a 2-1 lead. Guerrero
is 1-for-9 with three strikeouts the first two games of the
three-game series.
The Expos have lost 11 of 14 after a 6-1 start.
"Our offense problems are serious," manager Felipe Alou said.
"We wasted a lot of opportunities to score."
Game notes
Pujols has grounded into three double plays the last two
games and has hit into eight this season, five more than any other
Cardinals player. ... The Cardinals lead the series 254-253. ...
Benes is 24-12 at Busch Stadium. ... Three Expos players were hit
by pitches and Alou complained vehemently after pinch-hitter
Fernando Seguinol was plunked in the ribs, loading the bases with
two outs in the seventh. ... Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu, recovering
from tendinitis in his right knee and right elbow, is scheduled to
throw 75 pitches for Class A Jupiter on Thursday. ... After the
game, the Expos optioned outfielder Peter Bergeron to Triple-A
Ottawa and recalled outfielder Andy Tracy. Bergeron was 0-for-2 and
is batting .121 (8-for-66) with one homer and one RBI.
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RECAPS
Minnesota 6
Boston 4
Anaheim 3
Cleveland 1
Baltimore 6
Detroit 4
Seattle 7
NY Yankees 5
Toronto 8
Texas 5
Tampa Bay 5
Kansas City 3
Chi. White Sox 2
Oakland 1
Atlanta 11
Houston 3
Milwaukee 7
NY Mets 2
St. Louis 5
Montreal 2
Colorado 6
Chicago Cubs 5
Arizona 10
Florida 7
Philadelphia 5
San Diego 3
Cincinnati 7
San Francisco 5
Los Angeles 6
Pittsburgh 5
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