Pujols, Cardinals End Marlins’ Streak

ST. LOUIS â€”  If the Florida Marlins complete their mission to make it back to .500, it won’t be on the St. Louis Cardinals’ watch.

Albert Pujols hit a tiebreaking home run in the fifth inning and Preston Wilson had three RBIs, helping St. Louis end the Marlins’ nine-game winning streak with a 13-6 victory Wednesday night.

“Close plays went their way, balls fell in,� Florida third baseman Wes Helms said. “For nine in a row the ball bounced our way. In the game of baseball, sometimes it bounces the other way.�

Hanley Ramirez had three hits and Mike Jacobs had two RBIs for the Marlins, who are 65-67 and missed a chance to climb to .500 after starting the season 11-31. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team since 1900 has reached .500 after falling 20 games below, and no team has won 10 in a row after such a ragged start.

The Marlins squandered a four-run lead against the NL Central-leading Cardinals, who have only three comebacks of four or more runs all season.

“It didn’t look good to start, I guess,� said third baseman Scott Rolen, who had three doubles, an RBI and two errors. “But we started swinging the bats a little better and putting hits together.

“That’s what we haven’t been doing.�

The Cardinals tied a franchise record with eight doubles and had a season-best 20 hits without any from recent hitting star Gary Bennett, who sprained his lower back stretching to tag out a runner trying to score on a failed squeeze bunt in the second after bobbling the ball.

Jason Marquis (14-12) contributed two hits and an RBI to the comeback for the Cardinals, who have won four of five and are 4-1 against the Marlins this year.