Houston Astros defeat St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3

HOUSTON - The Houston Astros reached previously bulletproof closer Ryan Franklin in the ninth inning to spoil a gem by Chris Carpenter and send a message to the NL Central.

Miguel Tejada's two-out RBI single in the ninth inning capped a rally against Franklin that erased the lead he inherited from Carpenter and became a 4-3 victory for the host Astros. Houston rallied for two runs in the ninth to give Franklin his first loss and blown save combination of the season and ...