HOUSTON • The fourth-inning fly ball sounded as if it might have splintered Matt Holliday's bat. When it dropped into the infamous Crawford Boxes snug against the left-field wall, it became the shortest of the Cardinals left fielder's 16 home runs this season.
It may also rank among Holliday's most meaningful.
Pushed around on the front end of a six-game trip, the Cardinals pushed back hard Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
A game that began disturbingly like Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros changed dramatically on Holliday's swing against lefthander Wandy Rodriguez's inside fastball. The home run — Holliday's fifth of the trip — turned a 2-0 deficit into a sudden 3-2 lead that starting pitcher Blake Hawksworth and three relievers protected for a 4-2 win.
Swept three games by the Colorado Rockies to open the trip, the second-place Cardinals won two of three against the Astros. The series win cut a three-game deficit to one behind the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds, who suffered a second consecutive shutout loss against the Philadelphia Phillies. The reversal also reinvigorated a team that blew leads of eight and five runs to begin the road swing.
"We're alive and kicking," insisted manager Tony La Russa, who beforehand promoted the series finale against a fifth-place team as if it were Holyfield-Bowe III.
The Cardinals enter the All-Star break in a 4-7 slide. At 47-41, they're a .500 team since April 27. However, in the National League Central such skids cause only minor bruising. Speaking of what might have been a disastrous end to the first half, La Russa said, "We survived."
Rodriguez was perfect while striking out five in the first three innings. However, center fielder Jon Jay punctured his dominance with a one-out bunt single followed by first baseman Albert Pujols' one-hop single off the left-field wall.
Holliday, tied up in his first at-bat, jumped Rodriguez's second pitch for the game-changer.
"I didn't smoke it, but he kept coming inside so I figured I'd try to get the head to it and keep it fair," Holliday said. "I got enough of it."
Holliday's recent surge ranks among the leading reasons for optimism within a clubhouse peppered with questions this season about its stuttering offense. Holliday finished the first half with 51 RBIs; he and Pujols have conspired for 115.
"It's a good platform. When you're starting the second half, you're building on something," said La Russa, who also complimented Jay for "a heady play."
The club meanwhile awaits the return of right fielder Ryan Ludwick from a calf strain during an eight-game home stand that opens the second half, and third baseman David Freese from a bone bruise before month's end.
The Cardinals also continue to wait on starting pitcher Brad Penny's return from a muscle strain in his upper back, while voicing optimism that another member of the opening-day rotation, Kyle Lohse, can return from May surgery to make a contribution before the end of August.
"We've competed really hard, but we've played better at some times than others," La Russa said. "We need to focus on our execution. There have been a number of times we could have done things better."
Hawksworth (3-5) achieved a personal milestone Sunday, gaining his first win in a starting role. He did it the hard way, allowing two first-inning runs after walking former NL base-stealing leader Michael Bourn, then watching Astros left fielder Carlos Lee's two-out, one-hop smash beat shortstop Tyler Greene for a RBI single. The Astros scored again when an opposite-field flare eluded right fielder Nick Stavinoha's dive.
The Astros, had won Saturday after an unmade double play against Lee opened the gates to a three-run first inning against Jeff Suppan.
"I walked Bourn to lead off the game and I walked the pitcher. There's no excuse for that," said Hawksworth, who required 35 pitches to navigate the first inning but only 60 in his last 4 1/3 innings. "I was happy to get into the sixth by making pitches when I needed to. I kept it at two after it didn't look good to start."
Rather than detonate defensively, the Cardinals took a stand when Holliday made a sliding catch to deny Lee a hit with runners at first and second and none out in the fifth inning.
With the tying run at second base and two outs in the seventh inning, replacement shortstop Brendan Ryan stopped Astros right fielder Hunter Pence's grounder before it reached the outfield. Pence reached but the tying run held at third base. Reliever Kyle McClellan then got a fly ball to end the threat.
Hawksworth proved tough with a lead before handing over the game to McClellan, Jason Motte and Ryan Franklin for the final 3 2/3 innings. Franklin closed for his 16th save in 17 opportunities. Citing recent rust that may have contributed to a ninth-inning meltdown Tuesday, Franklin said afterward he planned to approach La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan about ways to find more work in the second half.
Maligned for its performance against the Rockies, the bullpen worked seven scoreless innings against the Astros.
"We've been pretty solid all year. We had some hiccups in back-to-back games in Colorado. But we've been pretty good about moving on," McClellan said. "We came in today with a one-run lead, in this ballpark, and made it stick."
Added McClellan: "It's a long season. A lot can happen either way."
