May 28, 2004 3 min read

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Scott Rolen homered and drove in four runs, giving him a major league-leading 49 RBIs, in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. Jeff Suppan (4-4) worked six solid innings to help the Cardinals end a three-game losing streak and split an abbreviated two-game series with the Pirates.

Pittsburgh’s Daryle Ward, who hit for the cycle and tied his career best with six RBIs Wednesday night, singled in his first at-bat. But he didn’t get the ball out of the infield after that in a 1-for-4 day.

Rolen’s 11th homer was a three-run shot off a hanging breaking ball from Ryan Vogelsong (1-4) in the third.

Vogelsong struggled on the mound in his first appearance against St. Louis, but was the hitting star for the Pirates. He was 2-for-3 with an RBI double, but gave up six runs on five hits in five innings with five walks and five strikeouts.

“Anytime you walk guys it isn’t any good,” Vogelsong said. “I really paid the price for it. I’ve got to find a way, that’s what I keep saying, and that’s the bottom line.”

Vogelsong is 0-4 in eight starts since winning in his season debut April 8 against the Phillies. This month he has a 6.43 ERA.

“It’s been a tough go for him,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “We just need to continue to encourage this young man and work on his command and get him feeling good about himself, and I think he’s going to be a quality pitcher for us.”

Vogelsong and Abraham Nunez had consecutive RBI doubles in the fifth for the Pirates’ first runs of the game.

Craig Wilson walked to lead off the sixth and scored on Tike Redman’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Despite the loss, the Pirates have won six of their last eight on the road and have won eight of 13 overall.

Notes: Besides Ward’s feat, Wednesday night’s game was notable in that all the starters on both teams – including the pitchers – got a hit. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s happened only five times in the last 30 years, the last time on Sept. 19, 1998, when the Dodgers played at the Giants. … Pirates C Humberto Cota left after the top of the fifth with a strained muscle in his left side. He said he aggravated an injury sustained May 19 in a doubleheader against the Padres. “After my first at-bat, it was pretty tough to throw the ball back,” Cota said. “After that first at-bat, to be honest with you, I couldn’t breathe at all.” … Cardinals C Cody McKay got his first start since May 13 and was 0-for-3 to drop his average to .088 (3-for-34). But McKay threw out one of two runners attempting to steal, making him 5-for-7 on the season.