BlueBaron

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- One of the most reliable things in baseball has been Tim Hudson winning when given a lead of three runs or more.

Until Saturday night.

The Atlanta starter, who had been unbeaten in his past 76 starts when given a lead of at least three runs, squandered a three-run advantage in St. Louis on Saturday as the Cardinals rallied for a 5-4 win. The loss also snapped Hudson's nine-game winning streak.

Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols had two hits and an RBI each to lead the Cardinals.

The last time Hudson (15-6) gave up a lead of three or more runs was on Aug. 23, 2000, when Hudson was with Oakland and lost 7-5 to Cleveland. Hudson is 95-2 in his career with that advantage.

"Three runs is a lot for a pitcher; I think any front-line pitcher, if you give him three runs, should win the ballgame," Hudson said. "I felt we should have won tonight for sure."

The Cardinals got to Hudson with one big inning, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring five runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead.

"It was a big inning," said Cardinals second baseman Aaron Miles, who began the rally with a bunt. "I don't know if he got a little tired. I just wanted to get something started. That's what we needed."

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa knows his team got a little lucky.

"We got to him with a bunt and a couple of balls that fell," La Russa said.

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox agreed.

"He had the worst luck I've ever seen of any pitcher for one inning," Cox said. "The bunt was an excellent bunt and then two broken bats and a high hopper up the middle, and the ball that (Yunel) Escobar booted.

"He was on top of his game. It's just unreal that could happen, but we get bloop hits, too."

MLB - Atlanta Braves/St. Louis Cardinals Recap Saturday August 25, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports