MILWAUKEE — Your turn, Albert Pujols.
The St. Louis slugger went 4-for-5 with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series to lead the Cardinals past the Milwaukee Brewers 12-3 on Monday.
“Sometimes when they come, they come in a bunch,” Pujols said.
His big hits came one night after Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder bashed the Brewers to a 9-6, come-from-behind victory in Game 1. This time, the big bats couldn’t bring Milwaukee back — even at Miller Park. The best home team in the majors all season, the Brewers had won all four home games in the playoffs until Monday.
The series now shifts to St. Louis, where Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter faces Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Pujols can become a free agent after the World Series, so a big postseason could raise his price. The three-time NL MVP was 1-for-4 in Sunday night’s loss, hitting into a double play with runners on first and third in the seventh inning. A run scored on the play, but it seemed to be an indication that Pujols wasn’t quite on his game. He came into Monday with only one RBI in the Cardinals’ first six postseason games.
“You learn from the mistakes that you made,” Pujols said. “(Sunday) was just so tough. Going to bed, I was just thinking about some of the opportunities I had to help our ballclub win. I turned that page, knowing (Monday) was a new day.”
Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer in the fourth for Milwaukee, then was involved in a disputed play in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Weeks grounded into a double play, though replays showed he was safe. But it didn’t matter after the Brewers gave up four runs in a backbreaking seventh inning.
Key moment
Missed chance precedes rout
Center fielder Nyjer Morgan missed a chance at what would have been an acrobatic catch of Albert Pujols’ double in the third, and two runs scored to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. Pujols pointed to the sky upon arriving at second base, then clapped his hands.
Star of the game
Albert Pujols
The Cardinals first baseman had one of the biggest postseason nights of his career, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs. He belted a two-run homer in the first inning, a two-run double in the third and an RBI double in the fifth, then added another double in the seventh. The crowd cheered sarcastically when the Brewers finally retired him in the eighth.
