MLB: St. Louis 10, Milwaukee 3

The Cardinals won their fifth straight and maintained a 10-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Carpenter (15-3) leads the National League with a 2.28 ERA. He has not lost since June 30 and he benefited from plenty of offensive support Wednesday while allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings.

St. Louis took control with a six-run second inning that featured a two-run single by Skip Schumaker and a two-run double by Albert Pujols, who ran his RBI total for the year to 113.

Dave Bush (3-6) lost his sixth straight decision. He surrendered eight runs on 11 hits in just 3 1/3 innings.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.