NEW YORK, 18 April 2006 — Albert Pujols belted three home runs, including a game winning two-run blast, to power the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-7 decision over the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on Sunday.

Trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth, Pujols took a 1-2 offering from Reds closer David Weathers (0-1) and parked it over the left field fence to bring in Jason Marquis.

The triple-homer game was the second of Pujols’ career, the NL MVP also matching career highs with five RBI and four runs.

Pujols’ eighth homer of the season was also his sixth walk off home run of his career, which he celebrated with a dance around the bases.

However, Pujols’ ninth inning blast was the hit that brought a sell-out crowd to their feet.

Marquis started the ninth with a leadoff single, setting the stage for Pujols, who crushed a towering shot down the left field line that stayed just inside the foul pole.

In Los Angeles, Brad Hennessey combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout as the Dodgers blanked the San Francisco Giants 2-0 with Barry Bonds enduring another tough day at the plate. Hennessey (1-0) was brilliant, scattering three hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Scott Munter and Steve Kline held the Giants without a hit then gave way to closer Tim Worrell, who pitched a perfect ninth to nail down the win and his fifth save of the season.

Omar Vizquel and Mark Sweeney each had a pair of hits and scored a run while Ray Durham recorded the game’s only RBI.

Bonds, meanwhile, continued to struggle, going hitless in two at-bats leaving the Giants slugger just 4-for-23 on the season.

He also walked and was hit by pitch.

Bonds (708) has yet to homer this season and remains six behind second-placed Babe Ruth on major league baseball’s all-time list.

In New York, Carlos Delgado had a three-run homer and Xavier Nady added a two-run shot as the Mets continued their sizzling start to the season dumping the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3.

With the victory the Mets improved their record to 9-2, coming out on top of all four series they have played this season.

Clinging to a 4-3 lead, Delgado’s fourth homer of the season broke open the tight contest, keying a five-run eighth inning.

Maroth Leads Tigers to Shutout Victory Over Indians in the AL

Mike Maroth threw seven shutout innings and Chris Shelton belted his eighth home run of the season as the Detroit Tigers edged the Cleveland Indians 1-0 on Sunday.

Maroth (2-0), who had his start pushed back three days because of a sore elbow, showed no signs of distress and scattered three hits over seven innings, striking out five with two walks.

The left-hander has yielded just one earned run in 12 1/3 innings so far this season.

Joel Zumaya worked one inning of scoreless relief before Fernando Rodney came on in the ninth to pick up his third save of the season and complete the four-hit shutout. With Maroth quieting Cleveland bats, Shelton’s solo homer off Cliff Lee in the fourth inning was all the offense the Tigers would need.

In Minneapolis, Jason Giambi slammed two home runs and Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano also homered as the New York Yankees romped to a 9-3 win over the Twins to avoid a three-game series sweep.

Giambi, Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Gary Sheffield each had three hits as the Yankees pounded Twins pitching for 17 hits to get back to .500 with a record of 6-6.

Chien Ming-Wang (1-0) provided New York with seven solid innings, allowing two runs — one earned — on seven hits while striking out eight.

In Chicago, Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye each belted two-run homers as the White Sox held on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 in a rain-shortened inning game. Tadahito Iguchi also had an RBI as the World Series champions collected their sixth win in seven games. The White Sox chased Blue Jays starter Josh Towers (0-3) from the contest after just two innings, rocking the right-hander for five runs on seven hits.