by BY RICK HUMMEL rhummel@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8196 , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

His eighth-inning grand slam Friday night merely broke Stan Musial's club records for most slams in a season (Pujols has four) and for a career (Pujols has 10). It was Pujols' sixth hit in seven at-bats with the bases loaded this season, and he's knocked in an astounding 20 runs in bases-filled spots this year.

But, after Pujols had erased a 3-0 Reds lead in the eighth, Pujols turned instructor with the score tied at 4-4 in the ninth on the way to a 7-4 Cardinals victory.

Rookie Jarrett Hoffpauir, who had walked on four pitches in his major-league debut ahead of Pujols' slam, was at bat himself with the bases loaded and two out in the ninth. Pujols, in the on-deck circle, summoned Hoffpauir before the latter faced off against lefthander Daniel Ray Herrera.

"He told me to relax, get a pitch to hit and punch it the other way," said the 26-year-old Hoffpauir. "Albert said (Herrera's) changeup was his best pitch."

The critical information relayed, Hoffpauir singled home two runs and then Pujols knocked in his fifth run of the night with a double as the Cardinals , with Ryan Franklin pitching out of a bases-loaded spot in the ninth, pulled off a remarkable win that restored them to the lead in theNL Central.

The pitch to Hoffpauir was a changeup, just as Pujols had said. "That's why he's so good. That's why he's Albert," Hoffpauir said.

There was no question that Hoffpauir was nervous in his debut. "I think my knees were touching each other, I was shaking so hard," he said.

Though Hoffpauir got the game-winner, Reds manager Dusty Baker had a different perspective. "(Pujols) beat us by himself," Baker said. "He took the game from us. This guy's a one-man wrecking crew."

Baker, ignoring the numbers, had brought in veteran righthander David Weathers with one out in the eighth to face Pujols even though Pujols was nine for 18 with two homers against Weathers. That was before the grand slam.

Weathers didn't have much leeway, even though a walk would have made the score only 3-1. "That's a tough situation," Weathers said. "If you pitch around him and walk him, you've got the tying run at second and one out. That's the one situation where you absolutely have to pitch to him."

Cardinals starter Joel Pi?eiro threw only 81 pitches and didn't walk anyone for the eighth time in 16 starts. But he left for pinch-hitter Colby Ramus in the eighth behind 3-0 against righthander Homer Bailey.

Rasmus didn't start even though he was five for his last 10 because Chris Duncan had had more success (.362) at Great American Ball Park than anyplace else. He got one of three outfield berths and Rick Ankiel, who had homered off Bailey last year, got another. But both again were hitless on Friday and Rasmus, coming off the bench, wasn't, suggesting that Rasmus will be breaking some of the ties now as far as who La Russa plays.

Rasmus' first of two late-game singles opened the eighth. After Brendan Ryan flied out, Skip Schumaker walked, forcing Baker to remove Bailey. Lefthander Arthur Rhodes, who was holding lefthanded batters to a .119 average, entered to face Duncan, but La Russa countered with righthanded-hitting Hoffpauir.

Hoffpauir didn't even have to swing as Rhodes walked him on four pitches, loading the bases for Pujols, who hit a pop foul on a 2-2 pitch that barely fell into the photographers' well near the Reds' dugout. On the next offering, Pujols threw his hands in the air after clouting the 350th homer of his career.

"I was just trying to stay away from the double play," Pujols said. "I got one life left. It was a fastball up and I put the best swing of the night (on the ball) and it went out of the park."

The Cardinals' Yadier Molina lined a ninth-inning smash off the right arm of Reds righthander Nick Masset, who was able to make the recovery and throw out Molina. But then Massett had to leave for Herrera, who allowed two-out hits to Rasmus and Ryan before Schumaker reached base on an error by shortstop Paul Janish.

Pujols, who has 82 RBIs now, said, "There were three key at-bats of the night. One was Colby Rasmus starting the inning. Two was Skip putting the ball in play. And then (Hoffpauir) coming up with the big hit. That's more important than me hitting the grand slam."

Franklin was returning to the scene of the crime where he blew his only save on May 10. "To battle back like that ... to let that lead get away, I couldn't live with myself for at least a day," Franklin said.

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10 Pujols

9 Stan Musial

7 Rogers Hornsby

Ken Boyer

Ted Simmons

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TODAY'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP ? Cardinals vs. Cincinnati, 12:10 p.m., Great American Ball Park

Brad Thompson

RH - 2-4, 4.69

The Cardinals' sinkerballer stand-in is 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA this season on the road, where he's made three of his six starts. Thompson has struck out just two batters in his past 18 innings, while coaxing 39 groundouts in that span.

Micah Owings

RH - 5-8, 4.63

Owings is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in one start against the Cardinals , but he had a decisive pinch-hit home run earlier this season against them. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound righty has two homers and seven RBIs in 39 at-bats this season.

-Derrick Goold

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