Pujols grandslam powers Cardinals

ST. LOUIS – Albert Pujols hit his second grand slam of the season and surpassed 1,000 career RBIs, sending St. Louis to an 8-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the surging Cardinals ninth straight home win on Saturday.

The Cardinals are 13-5 overall, good for first place in the National League Central.

Pujols drove the first pitch from reliever David Patton in the seventh inning to left field an estimated 441 feet (135 meters). It was the eighth career grand slam for Pujols, who is hitting .348 with 25 RBIs and seven homers already this season.

The four RBIs gave Pujols 1,002 in his career, making him the sixth Cardinals player to reach that milestone.

The Cubs have lost their last four games.

At Cincinnati, Yunel Escobar drove in a career-high four runs and finished a triple short of the cycle, leading Atlanta to a 10-2 victory over the home team.

Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer and also drove in four runs as the Braves jumped on Bronson Arroyo for six runs in the first two innings and handed the Cincinnati pitcher his first loss in four starts. (AP)