Todd Wellemeyer’s strong start leads Cardinals over Giants 5-2

Wellemeyer shuts down Giants in 5-2 victory

ST. LOUIS — Todd Wellemeyer rebounded from his shortest start of the season with 7 1-3 solid innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Thursday night.

Wellemeyer (7-7) allowed two runs and seven hits in his longest outing of the season. He lasted 2 1-3 innings in his previous start, giving up three earned runs against Minnesota on June 27. He was 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA in June.

He struck out six in improving to 3-0 lifetime against the Giants.

Ryan Franklin worked a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 20 chances.

Ryan Ludwick had two hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who won for the third time in nine games.

Barry Zito (4-8), who threw 26 pitches before recording an out, went 4 1-3 innings, allowing five earned runs and five hits as San Francisco ended a 10-game trip at 5-5.

Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker each two hits for St. Louis.

Ludwick hit a bases-loaded single off the glove of shortstop Juan Uribe and Yadier Molina drew a 3-2 walk to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. Chris Duncan’s RBI ground out capped St. Louis’ first inning.

Ryan started the inning with a single and Schumaker followed with a ground-rule double that bounced in front of left fielder Fred Lewis. Albert Pujols was then given his 27th intentional walk of the season to load the bases. Pujols, who was 10 for 21 in his previous seven games, finished 0 for 2 but drew another intentional walk in the fifth.

Zito settled down after the opening inning, retiring 12 hitters after the first five hitters of the game reached safely.

The Cardinals chased Zito with two runs in the fifth on a double by Ryan, a run-scoring ground out from Schumaker and Ryan’s single up the middle.

Aaron Rowand broke up the shutout with a two-run homer just over wall in left in the seventh. It was his ninth of the season.

NOTES: Zito has the lowest run support of any starting pitcher in the majors. The Giants have scored 29 runs in the 93 1-3 innings he has pitched. … San Francisco is 27-20 outside of the NL West and 15-16 in the division. … San Francisco is 16-10 in the final game of a series this season. … The Giants are 13-11 in new Busch Stadium. … The Cardinals’ starters have recorded 33 wins tying Colorado for the NL lead. … The Cardinals reported that 3B Troy Glaus, who is in Jupiter, Fla., is swinging pain-free but is still reporting pain throwing. Glaus had shoulder surgery in January.