St. Louis, MO (Best E Casino) - Todd Wellemeyer tossed seven-plus innings of one-run ball, and the Cardinals offense rattled off 15 hits to get back in the win column with a 5-1 victory over the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium.

Wellemeyer (4-1) allowed just two singles and three walks, while fanning five for St. Louis, which had dropped three in a row and six of seven.

Troy Glaus and Cesar Izturis each tallied three hits and knocked in a run, while Rick Ankiel, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina recorded two hits apiece in victory.

Pittsburgh had won seven of its last eight, but Paul Maholm (2-4) was touched for 11 hits and four runs in his six-inning start. Nate McLouth logged the Pirates' only RBI in the second contest of this three-game set.

Pittsburgh was inches away from scoring first in the second, but Ankiel jumped at the wall in center to steal a home run away from Adam LaRoche.

The Cardinals opened the contest's scoring in the home half when Izturis grounded into a force out to knock in Glaus, who led off the frame with a single.

Glaus' two-out double plated Pujols in the third, and the Cardinals added two more in the sixth after their first three hitters singled to load the bases. Pujols could only muster a sacrifice fly to center and Ryan Ludwick provided a shot to right that forced in another for a four-run St. Louis lead.

Wellemeyer, meanwhile, allowed just one hit - Luis Rivas' single in the first - through his first seven innings on the hill. He retired the side in order in the second, sixth and seventh innings, respectively, before Jose Bautista's leadoff single in the eighth ended his night.

McLouth singled in Bautista several batters later, but Randy Flores came on in relief to retire Jason Bay with runners on the corners.

Yadier Molina's RBI single added an insurance run for the Cardinals in the bottom half of the inning, and Jason Isringhausen closed it out with a perfect ninth.

Game Notes

Before the game, the Pirates placed catcher Ryan Doumit was placed on the 15- day disabled list with a fractured left thumb and selected the contract of catcher Raul Chavez from Triple-A Indianapolis...In the rubber game of the series on Thursday, the Pirates will send Ian Snell (2-2) to square off against St. Louis' Joel Pineiro (2-2)...Attendance was 38,720.