ST. LOUIS -- The hardest month of the season and arguably the worst August in decades for the St. Louis Cardinals provided a bittersweet trophy Thursday as Albert Pujols was named National League Player of the Month.

Pujols hit .379 through the month, slugged .777 and hit a league-best 11 home runs. He also scored 29 runs, drove in 23 runs and had a .453 on-base percentage. Pujols also hit the 400th homer of his career during the month.

He did that and closed the month hitless in the final two games.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, went 11-15 during the month, their first regular-season full month with fewer than 12 wins since April 2007. The Cardinals return home from a 2-8 road trip to face the Cincinnati Reds this weekend. The Reds lead the NL Central by eight games.

A three-time MVP, Pujols is jousting with Reds' first baseman Joey Votto and Colorado Rockies' outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to be the first Triple Crown winner in the NL since 1937. Pujols leads the league with 34 home runs, is second in the league with 95 RBIs and fifth in the league with a .313 average.

The monthly award is the fifth of Pujols' career.

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