ST. LOUIS _ Luke Weaver continued his late-season surge Thursday at Busch Stadium, pitching six strong innings in the Cardinals 5-2 win over Cincinnati.
Weaver won his fifth consecutive start since returning from the minors with six innings of work. He allowed two hits and one unearned run, which scored on a two-out error in the second inning.
Overall, it was the sixth consecutive start that he has won. He had six strikeouts without a walk.
Tommy Pham was the offensive star as he hit a two-run home run and stole two bases to become the first Cardinal to reach 20 homers and 20 steals in a season since Reggie Sanders in 2004.
The Cards took advantage of some wildness on the part of Cincinnati starting pitcher Amir Garrett as three of their first four runs were scored by players who drew walks.
Jose Martinez drove in the first two runs in the third inning after a pair of walks issued to Pham and Paul DeJong. Pham's homer came in the fifth.
Entering the game, Weaver was 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA for the season. He had not allowed a run in 13 2/3 consecutive innings at Busch.
