The Cardinals' wish list for baseball's Christmas in July — the upcoming non-waiver trade deadline — included what general manager John Mozeliak called an "icebreaker."

Turns out, they may just have needed a break.

The Cardinals continued their post-All Star surge Monday with a power-laced comeback against the Philadelphia Phillies for an 8-4 victory at Busch Stadium. Albert Pujols put the Cardinals ahead in the fifth inning and triggered a run of four homers in the span of six at-bats. The turnaround — both within Monday's game, and within the season — has given the Cardinals their first six-game winning streak since the end of the 2008 season and reminded the league of what their offense was supposed to look like.

"That's something you didn't see too much in the first half," Pujols said. "But we knew it was coming."

Four homers by four different players, including a major-league first for rookie Allen Craig, fueled the Cardinals' rally from a 3-0 first-inning deficit. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick entered the game 4-0 in four starts against the Cardinals, but they chipped away at him steadily — an RBI groundout here, an RBI groundout there — until unloading on him in the five-run fifth inning. For the fourth time in five days, the Cardinals scored more than five runs in a game. They hadn't put a streak like that together since the first week of May.

In 14 games this month, the Cardinals have averaged 5.69 runs a game. That stems the steady decline the team has seen from 4.57 a game in April to 4.19 a game in a meandering June that prompted the front office to question the club's chemistry and call for an "icebreaker." Nothing makes a clubhouse crackle quite like winning.

"Winning is the big cure-all," said veteran Randy Winn, whose pinch-hit homer to lead off the sixth gave the Cardinals their first four-homer game at home since July 2008.

"I think there are guys in here who are motivated to have a very good second half," said second baseman Skip Schumaker, who added his third homer of the season to the show. "Part of it is getting a break to clear your mind and re-evaluate where you're at. … I think there are a lot of guys in here who are really motivated to turn their season around. Whether it's Craig or (Jon) Jay who you want to give some credit to, that's fine, no doubt about it. But there's a lot of (veterans) in here who want to turn their season around not only for themselves but because it's going to better the team.

"We are such a better team than we showed in the first half."

In the rally against LA's Jonathan Broxton on Sunday and during the comeback Monday vs. Kendrick, it was Craig and Jay, a couple of kids by clubhouse standards, who sparked it and continued it. Icebreakers? Too young. Game-breakers? So far. Jay ripped an RBI double in the fifth to raise his average to .372 in the majors and put the Cardinals down by a run. Pujols followed with a two-run shot off Kendrick that put the Cardinals in front 5-4. After Colby Rasmus grounded out, Craig delivered a blast to left field, and Schumaker followed in the next at-bat with the clincher.

"Albert put a great swing on that pitch and got us going," said Craig, who did receive the milestone baseball. "That really fired everyone up and we just kind of followed his lead from there."

The Phillies, the NL champs the previous two years, lost three of four at Wrigley Field last weekend and have been groping for offense almost as long as the Cardinals have. Manager Charlie Manuel bluntly assessed his team Monday, saying it is in need of "finding somebody who is swinging pretty good or hot."

"We just haven't had our game together," Manuel said. "We just haven't put it together and we're still searching for it."

They found it briefly in the first.

The Phillies peppered Cardinals starter Blake Hawksworth for five hits and three runs before the young righthander could get a third out. Manuel batted outfielder Raul Ibanez No. 3 in the lineup because the veteran came in with solid (though limited) numbers against Hawksworth — two for three with two homers. Ibanez singled in the first inning to push No. 2 hitter Placido Polanco to third. Then came the RBIs. St. Louis native Ryan Howard collected his 30th RBI in his 18th game at Busch III, and Shane Victorino stroked a two-out, two-run single for a 3-0 lead.

Philadelphia had 12 baserunners against Hawksworth (4-5) in the first five innings of the righty's six-inning outing. Two were erased by key double plays, and a third was picked off first by catcher Yadier Molina. That defense helped Hawksworth survive 10 hits allowed and three walks and finish six innings.

"Wasn't my best," Hawksworth said. "This win is all about the guys. The lineup. The defense. It was a lot of fun to see those guys swing it."

Manager Tony La Russa lauded Hawksworth for recovering and soldiering through six because the team lacked a long reliever Monday, and his work kept the bullpen alive. Liveliness is spreading. Pujols mentioned it's apparent in the defense. The scoreboard said it's in the offense.

The break has become a breakout.

"We know what kind of team we had in here," Pujols said. "I told you guys when we were struggling and I'm telling you right now when we're having success: We know what kind of ballclub we have and we know what we can do."

 

----

CORRECTS to fifth inning for Pujols' homer in 3rd paragraph; corrects to sixth inning for Winn's homer in 7th paragraph;