St. Louis Cardinals defeat Houston Astros, 2-1

The Cardinals got enough runs early and sturdy relief late to take advantage of what starter Brad Penny did with his dream start in between.

A Cardinals fan when growing up in Oklahoma, Penny turned his first home start into his first win as a Cardinal, stifling the Houston Astros in a 2-1 victory Wednesday at Busch Stadium. Penny outdueled Astros righthander Brett Myers through a game that didn't feature any runs after the first inning.

"I wanted to play for the Car...