Cardinals Rough Up Rueter

The St. Louis Cardinals took three days of frustration out on Kirk Rueter.

Albert Pujols and Edgar Renteria hit three-run homers off Rueter in an eight-run second inning as the Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-5, Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep.

“Most of the first three days you’ve just got to give their pitchers credit for making quality pitches at the right time,” Manager Tony La Russa said. “I really thought the club geared up to salvage something.”

The Giants were trying to complete the franchise’s first four-game sweep at St. Louis since the great Christy Mathewson finished off the Cardinals on May 9, 1912.

Instead, the Cardinals roughed up Rueter, with Pujols and Scott Rolen hitting consecutive homers in the second to cap a burst that included Renteria’s shot.

Before the game, Rueter had yielded only five homers in 17 starts.

“I left some pitches up,” Rueter said. “Usually, I try not to give up home runs, and they get three in one inning.”

Barry Bonds got the afternoon off for the Giants, a day after hitting two home runs. The Giants have not swept any series in St. Louis since July 1987.

Rueter had one of the worst outings of his career. He had been 5-0 with a 2.28 earned-run average in nine starts in St. Louis, but he gave up eight runs and nine hits in only three innings.

The runs matched a career worst for Rueter (7-3), who fell to 9-4 for his career against the Cardinals with a 3.22 ERA. This was his first loss to St. Louis since July 22, 1998.