Marrero discovers 9th-inning solution, keeps Cards on a roll

ST. LOUIS -- Eli Marrero got the fastball he was expecting, and handled it.

Marrero singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 2-1 Saturday for their fifth straight victory.

The Astros lost their fourth in a row. They wasted a strong effort by Roy Oswalt, who struck out 10 in six innings.

J.D. Drew, who had fanned three times, opened the Cardinals' ninth with a single and stole second. St. Louis went on to load the bases with one out in the ninth against Ricky Stone (1-1).

Edgar Renteria, out of the starting lineup for three straight games because of a strained left side, pinch-hit for Kerry Robinson and struck out on a 3-2 pitch. Marrero then singled to left field.

"I was sitting on a fastball," Marrero said. "You're just trying to get the bat on the ball, but I was looking for a fastball."

Jason Isringhausen (2-0) struck out the side in the ninth.

Acting Cardinals manager Jose Oquendo said Isringhausen gave the team a huge lift.

"When you have those strikeouts, it gets the crowd fired up and that fires up the players," Oquendo said.

Oquendo is 2-0 as a manager this week while filling in for Tony La Russa, whose father died.

Oswalt and Cardinals starter Darryl Kile each gave up one run in six innings.

"It seems like everyone else is getting the breaks and we're getting bad breaks at the start of the season," Oswalt said.

Kile allowed up one hit, striking out five. The right-hander, who had surgery on his shoulder during the off-season, was pulled after 91 pitches.

"All I can do is pitch my best and hope that's enough," Kile said. "I can't really bear down any harder because of what the other pitcher is doing."

Once Oswalt and Kile left, the bullpens barely hung on.

The Astros put two runners on with no outs in the seventh against Luther Hackman, but pinch-hitter Jose Vizcaino struck out and pinch-hitter Orlando Merced hit into a double play.

Hackman walked the bases loaded in the eighth before Richard Hidalgo popped out to end the inning.

The Cardinals loaded the bases on walks in the seventh but also failed to score.

Hidalgo hit a sacrifice fly in the first after Brad Ausmus singled and Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman walked.

The Cardinals tied it in the bottom half on an RBI double by Albert Pujols after singles by Fernando Vina and Placido Polanco.

Notes: St. Louis SS Edgar Renteria did not start for the third straight game. He has been used as a pinch-runner. ... Polanco has a 10-game hitting streak (.326 15-for-46). ... ... Astros RHP Wade Miller will miss his next scheduled start Wednesday after because of neck spasms.