When Albert Pujols is at the plate, there is no such thing as wasting a pitch.

Kansas City right-hander Scott Elarton learned the hard way Sunday when his delivery to the extreme outer part of the plate was driven by Pujols to the opposite field and into the Royals' bullpen.

Pujols homered in his third straight game and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Kansas City 10-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep and send the Royals to their ninth straight loss.

"He's an unbelievable hitter," Elarton said. "He's probably the best hitter in the game right now. I wanted to waste a pitch (with the count 1-2). I felt like I had a pitch to waste and he hit it out of the ball park."

Kansas City (10-31) has the worst record in baseball and has been swept nine times this season.

Pujols, who leads the majors with 22 home runs in St. Louis' 44 games, reached the homer mark in the second-fewest games in baseball history. Bonds did it in 43 games in 2001.

"He's a once in a lifetime thing, not once in a lifetime, but he compares to anybody who has ever played the game is a better way to say it," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of his star first baseman.

Pujols, who went to Fort Osage High School and Maple Woods Junior College in Kansas City, also leads baseball with 54 RBIs, 46 runs scored and 118 total bases. He already had a four-game homer streak this season between April 15-18.

"It's not about me," Pujols said. "It's about the team. We got three wins and that's what we want to do."

Next up for the Cardinals is a three-games series at San Francisco, where Bonds is tied with Babe Ruth for second place with 714 career home runs.

"He's put up some great numbers in his career," Pujols said. "He's the best player in baseball right now."

The Cardinals have won five straight for the first time since July 10-18, 2005, and are a season-high 14 games over .500. They have dominated their cross-state rivals in interleague play, winning 10 of 11 from Kansas City.

Jeff Suppan, who pitched for Kansas City from 1998-2002, beat the Royals for the first time in five career outings. Suppan (5-3) yielded seven hits and two runs in six innings and improved to 3-1 in four May starts.

He also offered some advice on how to pitch to Pujols.

"Very carefully," Suppan said. "There are so many ways he can beat you. He's the one guy when he comes up in big situations it seems like he produces more times than not. He's continued to improve. It's fun to be on this side of the uniform with him."

Chris Duncan, recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, and Hector Luna homered in the fifth. Duncan hit a two-run shot to center, and Luna connected for a solo homer off Elarton (0-5).

Elarton, who is winless in 10 starts, gave up five runs on five hits, three of them home runs, in six innings. Elarton had retired 10 in a row before Pujols' home run.

"I can live with that," Elarton said. "The other two were bad pitches."

Elarton is finding it difficult to live with the losses.

"You get mad," he said. "We're just terrible. There are no two ways about it. We're pretty much bad in every facet of the game."

The Royals stranded 11 runners and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

"They had their chances," La Russa said. "We were all nervous in the dugout. We prevailed, but there were some nervous moments."

The Cardinals batted around in a five-run seventh, which was highlighted by Jim Edmonds' two-out, two-run single after Pujols was walked intentionally to load the bases. Scott Spiezio had a run-scoring single in the inning, and another scored on John Rodriguez's RBI grounder. Larry Bigbie came home on a throwing error by Royals reliever Andrew Sisco.

"Quite frankly, they've got a much better team than we have," Royals manager Buddy Bell said. "You make a mistake like that (Sisco's error), we just can't cover it up."

Matt Stairs led off the Royals' fourth with a double and scored on Paul Bako's two-out single. Aaron Guiel homered in the sixth for the second Kansas City run. Angel Berroa's seventh-inning double scored Stairs with the final Royals' run.

Albert Pujols Hits Game-Winning Single in 9th Inning, As Cardinals Sweep Pirates After 4-3 Win

Albert Pujols hit a game-winning single in the ninth inning after Jason Isringhausen allowed a tying home run to Jose Hernandez in the top half, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday and a three-game sweep.

St. Louis led 3-2 with two outs in the ninth when Hernandez hit his first homer of the season. Isringhausen (1-2) has allowed three homers in eight innings this season.

The Hernandez homer denied Mark Mulder his 100th career victory. Then, in the bottom half, David Eckstein and Hector Luna hit consecutive singles off Roberto Hernandez (0-1), and Pujols lined a 2-2 pitch down the third-base line.

Luna, who went 2-for-5 and raised his average to .432, had his fourth straight multihit game for the Cardinals, who have won six of seven overall. They're 29-10 against the Pirates since 2004 and swept them for the first time since May 23-25 last year.

Juan Encarnacion, batting cleanup for the first time this season, hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth off Zach Duke to break a 2-2 tie. Encarnacion has five RBIs the last two games after totaling one in the first 19.

Craig Wilson's two-run homer in the fourth wasn't enough for the Pirates to avoid a season-worst seventh straight loss. They've been outscored 34-12 during the slump, and have lost 12 of 13 on the road.

Mulder allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2-3 innings.

Scott Spiezio, starting for the second straight game with Scott Rolen sidelined by bronchitis, was 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single in the first. Miles, playing second base for the first time since a two-error game on Sunday, had an RBI single in the second for a 2-0 lead.

Pittsburgh had two runners on before Wilson grounded into an inning-ending double play in the first. He didn't miss his next chance, hitting his seventh homer to tie it in the fourth.

Duke gave up three runs, eight hits and five walks three intentional in six innings. Last season, Duke stopped a pair of five-game losing streaks, plus a three-game skid.

Notes:@ Jack Wilson was 0-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice, ending an eight-game hitting streak. … Paid attendance of 38,728 gave the Cardinals their 12th sellout in 12 games at the new Busch Stadium. … The Cardinals have won six of seven series this season the exception was a Cubs' sweep in early April. This is their second sweep of the season; they also took three straight at Philadelphia to open the season.

Donora's Stan Musial made a lot of history in his 22 years as one of major league baseball's greatest players with the St. Louis Cardinals.

He did it again the other day when the Cards unveiled Busch Stadium III.

Musial was joined on the field Monday before the Cards beat Milwaukee, 6-4, by Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter.

It marked the first time that all six living Cardinals Hall of Famers -- Sutter won't be officially inducted until July -- were on the field at the same time.

Before the game, the Cardinals rededicated Musial's statue outside the west side of the ballpark.

Busch Stadium is located in downtown St. Louis almost in the shadow of the famous Gateway Arch.

Musial, who will turn 86 in November, hasn't lost his sense of humor.

"Through the years I've outlived Sportsman's Park (later Busch I), I've outlived Busch Stadium, but I don't think I'm going to outlive this new one," he laughed.

Musial came up with a good line talking to St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Rick Hummel on opening day.

"You know why I've got this bad knee? I hit too many triples," he said. "I should have hit more home runs like (Mark) McGwire."

Musial hit 177 three-baggers compared to six for McGwire.

McGwire won the home run battle, 583-475, with 196 four-baggers coming in his final four seasons and retiring at the age of 37 in 2001.

Musial, on the other hand, ended his career in 1963 at the age of 43 and hit 63 homers in his last four years.

Speaking of Musial, he had his third baseball field named after him last June in Jennings, Mo. The first was in Kutno, Poland and the second was at Palmer Park in his hometown.

The Donora dedication took place Aug. 27, 1994, with Ken Griffey Sr. receiving the same recognition.

- To J.P. of Donora: With 538 home runs, Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. is 12th on baseball's all-time home run list.

If the 36-year-old Griffey can stay away from injuries, he should crack the top 10 this season with Mike Schmidt (548), Reggie Jackson (563) and Rafael Palmeiro (569) all within range.

Griffey is coming off a 35-homer showing in 2005 after hitting 41 in the previous three seasons with the Reds which were marred by injuries.

Griffey, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in September, was hitting .258 with two home runs and seven RBIs in eight games before leaving Wednesday's contest in Chicago in the fourth inning with stiffness in the back of his right knee. The Reds said Griffey is day-to-day and will be evaluated again today.

Griffey and the Reds won't be at Pittsburgh's PNC Park until three-game series May 16-18.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa formally named switch-hitting infielder Aaron Miles the team's Opening Day second baseman on Saturday morning before the Cardinals' 2-1 loss to the New York Mets in their Spring Training finale.

Miles, 5-foot-8 and 177 pounds, narrowly beat out proven veteran and former All-Star Junior Spivey and Hector Luna for the starting spot, and will most likely bat eighth in the batting order in Monday's opener at 2:05 p.m. CT at Philadelphia.

La Russa said Spivey and Luna "are losing playing time to the guy that was the underdog," but the move is not permanent.

"Right now, Aaron is going to play Opening Day," La Russa said. "I will try in that first week or 10 days to make sure everybody plays somewhere, sometime. Some guys are going to get more playing time than others.

"I'm going to go in there and try to win the first series, and I know Aaron is going to play the first game, and if he does a nice job, he has a chance to play in the second one. [If] he doesn't do a good job, someone else will play."

Spivey said he wasn't going to make any excuses for a lackluster spring, in which he hit just .152 and committed five errors.

"At the beginning of the [regular] season, you've got a clean slate," Spivey said. "I know what I'm capable of doing. It's just been a bad spring -- what can you say?"

Miles missed almost two weeks of games after jamming his left hand. Since then, the 29-year-old, entering his third season in the Major Leagues, had seven hits in 14 at-bats and struck out only once in 34 at-bats this spring. The Cardinals acquired Miles in a Dec. 7 trade from the Colorado Rockies, along with outfielder Larry Bigbie, for lefty reliever Ray King.

Miles started at second and batted eighth on Saturday, and fielded two ground balls cleanly at the top of the first inning, and lined a single to right in his first at-bat in the third. In the top of the fourth, with two men on, Carlos Delgado hit a sharp grounder to Miles, who quickly started a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam.

"If you look at my stats, it's probably my best spring," Miles said. "The guy who's playing good is the guy who's going to play the most."

In the sixth inning, Miles moved over to third base, and Spivey came in to play second.

The Mets' Jose Valentin, who reached base on a two-out triple, scored on Spivey's fifth error of the spring. Spivey misplayed a ground ball to his right to allow the run.

Hancock earns final bullpen spot: On Friday, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan solidified their bullpen by reassigning Alan Benes and Brian Falkenborg to Minor League camp, and retaining non-roster pitcher Josh Hancock.

"All of those guys competed equally," Duncan said. "Any of them wouldn't have been a bad choice. From start to finish, Hancock was the most consistent throwing strikes."

Hancock, a right-hander, pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Friday, leaving him with two earned runs in 10 Spring Training innings. Hancock, who turns 28 on April 11, was signed as a Minor League free agent on Feb. 21.

Duncan said Benes and Falkenborg could still be called up this year.

"You never know when you might need help," Duncan said.

Rodriguez OK: Outfielder John Rodriguez, who was competing for one of the final four roster spots, had an MRI done on Saturday on the left shoulder he strained on Friday.

Rodriguez said the results showed a deep muscle bruise.

"It feels pretty good today," said Rodriguez, who also suffered from muscle spasms in the same shoulder, and had an MRI earlier in the spring.

Rodriguez strained the shoulder on Friday while chasing a first-inning double into the left-field corner at Tradition Field and had to be helped off the field.

Edmonds back in swing: Jim Edmonds, who sat out Wednesday and Thursday with a bruised right heel, played Friday and Saturday, and plans on being in the lineup on Opening Day.

"Feels great," said Edmonds, who went 0-for-3 on Saturday and 1-for-4 with a double on Friday. "[My heel] feels better than my swing today."

Bits and pieces: There were 15 Cardinals home games at Roger Dean Stadium in 2006, with an average attendance of 6,604. The average in 2005 was 6,811. ... Chris Carpenter finished the spring with a 0.68 ERA in 26 2/3 innings. ... Edmonds and Yadier Molina were the only two Cardinals to bat above .400 for the spring. ... Scott Spiezio led the Cards' spring effort with nine walks.

No longer merely first among equals, Chris Carpenter established himself as first among everyone in 2005. The Cardinals right-hander won the Cy Young Award as the National League's top pitcher, enjoying the finest year by a St. Louis hurler in two decades.

Carpenter starts his second consecutive Opening Day when he takes the mound against the Phillies, and it will be the third time in his career he's received the prestigious assignment. But it's the first time he's done so as the unquestioned ace of a staff.

Not that that matters to him, not in the slightest.

"For me, it's Game 1," he said. "Get ready to go. It's the start of the season, and I've got to get locked in and be consistent all year."

In a year in which Carpenter imposed his will -- and his stuff and command -- on pretty much anyone and everyone who got in his way, the Phillies proved quite unfriendly. Carpenter endured his shortest and arguably worst start of the year against Philadelphia in his second outing of the year.

Carpenter has been a Cardinal for two years, and during that time the Phils have given him more consistent trouble than any other squad. He has a 7.59 ERA in four starts against Philadelphia as a Cardinal. Carpenter has been touched for six home runs at Citizens Bank Park, more than at any road ballpark but Wrigley Field -- where he has many more starts.

Not that that matters to him, either. Nor does the fact that the fences have been moved back at the Phillies' two-year-old stadium.

"You just have to make quality pitches," he said. "Houston is the same way, and I've pitched well in Houston. Some of the balls they hit out, it doesn't matter if they moved them 10 feet or not."

Carpenter's opponent on the mound will be Jon Lieber, and there's an interesting parallel between the two righties. Following the 2002 season, both were available as free agents, and both were coming off surgeries.

The Yankees signed Lieber, who has been solid for New York and Philadelphia since then. The Cardinals liked Lieber, but were more intrigued by the potential Carpenter had for brilliance, and signed him instead.

Over the past two years, that hunch has proved prescient. Lieber has been solid and durable but unspectacular, while Carpenter has been as effective as any starter in the National League.

Best of all, he's absolutely driven to do it again.

"Besides his physical gifts, mentally is probably his best gift," said manager Tony La Russa. "He's tough as nails, consistent, reliable. He's got everything working. Reminds me a lot of Albert [Pujols]. Albert comes every year, and it's like he's erased the year before and it's all about the next one. It's a great attitude."

The Marlins lost for the first time this spring, suffering a 6-3 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday in an error-plagued game.

The Cardinals did most of their damage in the third inning.

After Yusmeiro Petit retired the first two St. Louis batters he faced, he walked the next two hitters and then gave up three singles before being replaced by Adam Bostick.

St. Louis scored five runs in the inning -- all charged to Petit.

The Cardinals held the Marlins (3-1) to just three hits. The teams committed a total of seven errors.

The St. Louis Cardinals named Wayne Hagin as the teams play-by-play announcer for KPLR WB 11, the organization announced Friday.

Under the arrangement, Hagin will serve out the final 2006 contract of Bob Carpenter, who was released from his contract recently to accept a position calling about 150 games for the Washington Nationals.

"Given the last-minute departure of Bob Carpenter, we had to look quickly to find someone who was familiar with the Cardinals, who is experienced in the baseball broadcast booth," said Cardinals President Mark Lamping, in a statement.

Hagin called the past three Cardinals seasons on the radio. He will join Rick Horton for one preseason game and 41 regular season games on WB 11 and Cardinals Television Network.

The first telecast on WB 11 and the Cardinals Television Network will be March 25, from Juniper, Fla., when the Cardinals face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ever attend a ballgame and sense that fans at home have a better view? It's not just that you're in the nosebleed section. You don't have access to the same stats and instant replays. FanView gives spectators a view from inside up to seven cars while a NASCAR race is underway. Fans can also access lap times, speeds, positions and point standings in real time.

That's beginning to change, with an assist from wireless technology. Vivid Sky, a St. Louis start-up, on Wednesday unveiled SkyBox, a 17-ounce Wi-Fi device and service. The Windows Mobile gizmo, worn around the neck, would give fans at baseball parks, basketball courts and other venues a perspective previously unavailable.

Unsure which player has a higher lifetime batting average? You can check numbers in real time. If you think the umpire erroneously called a strike, you can check the 4-inch display and see where it crossed the plate. Plus, you can tap replays from any stadium camera.

"You no longer have to miss the action because you ran to the restroom," says Chris Shipley, producer of the Demo tech conference here where SkyBox was demonstrated.

Vivid Sky CEO Tim Hayden attended the famous game where Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 70th home run. "When we called home, everyone is watching 32 camera angles, and we're stuck at the stadium just clapping," he recalls.

Hayden says the company is talking to four Major League baseball clubs and hopes to have trials in place by the All-Star game in July. Vivid Sky also is talking with NFL and NBA franchises, and is making devices available at a large soccer stadium in Mexico City.

Fans would rent SkyBox when they enter a venue for between $10 and $20. Users also could bring wireless personal-digital assistants and tap the service for $3 to $5. Spectators can also use the service to order concessions.

Other high-tech fields of dreams:

. Sprint Nextel, Montreal's Kangaroo TV and NASCAR on Thursday will introduce a handheld scanner called FanView. It gives spectators a view from inside up to seven cars while a NASCAR race is underway. Fans can also access lap times, speeds, positions and point standings in real time. The devices are rented for $50 a day or $70 for the race weekend and will be in place before the Daytona 500 later this month.

. Fans at SBC Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, can download video highlights from other baseball games, team and player data, and pitch-by-pitch analysis to their wireless devices. The free Digital Dugout service was enhanced last year. There are 123 Wi-Fi access points in the stadium, allowing several thousand fans to take advantage of the service.

The St. Louis Cardinals won 205 games in the past two seasons, more than any other team in the major leagues.

They put together consecutive 100-win seasons, and consecutive National League Central Division titles. They advanced to the World Series in 2004 and the National League Championship Series in 2005.

And entering the 2006 season, the Cardinals look like early favorites to make it three consecutive division titles.

The Cardinals' best weapon is Albert Pujols, perhaps the most consistently impressive young player in the game. Pujols, a first baseman, just turned 26 in January, but already has 201 career home runs and 621 RBI to go with a .332 batting average.

In each of his first five major league seasons, Pujols played at least 154 games, scored 110-plus runs, drove in 115-plus runs, and had at least 34 home runs and doubles. He has never hit below .314.

In October, after Pujols' long home run off Astros closer Brad Lidge extended the NLCS to six games, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa compared Pujols to the top hitters in baseball.

"Here again, not that he is the very best, but there's nobody better," La Russa said. "I think that you would not be able to find one big or little characteristic that you would mark him down at less than A-plus."

So Pujols, who won his first NL Most Valuable Player Award in 2005, is a great player, pretty much everyone agrees. Hypothetically, he could be even better this season, since he was bothered by plantar fasciitis throughout 2005. What makes the Cardinals a great team, though, is Pujols' supporting cast.

St. Louis had baseball's best record last season even though third baseman Scott Rolen missed most of the season with a shoulder injury and center fielder Jim Edmonds batted 28 points below his career average. Rolen and Edmonds can be expected to have better seasons this year, while Juan Encarnacion should make up for the loss of Reggie Sanders, and Junior Spivey, Aaron Miles, Deivi Cruz and Hector Luna can ably fill Mark Grudzielanek's spot at second base.

The Cardinals corralled the two biggest individual awards in the National League in 2005. Right-hander Chris Carpenter won the Cy Young Award by going 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA in his second season back from shoulder surgery.

"For the entire season, he had all of his pitches working," La Russa said during the NLCS. "... When he has all of his pitches, you're talking about four or five things he can do to get hitters out. He can go against righties and lefties. And what we've seen, he's a terrific competitor."

Like Pujols, Carpenter was not a one-man show. The Cardinals' other four starting pitchers -- Mark Mulder, Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan and Matt Morris -- combined to win 59 games. All but Morris, the oldest of the quintet, return for the Redbirds.

The Cardinals' bullpen was among the better relief crews in baseball a year ago, led by closer Jason Isringhausen, who had 86 saves the past two seasons. While they did lose several arms, the Cardinals balanced that by adding Braden Looper and Ricardo Rincon.

Also back, of course, is La Russa as manager. He ranks third on the all-time managerial wins list with 2,214, and first among active managers. La Russa has his critics, having won Manager of the Year four times with only one World Series title. But that's being awfully petty, considering how many teams would love to be perennial playoff contenders as La Russa's clubs have been.

The final point of intrigue for the Cardinals this year is their move into the new Busch Stadium, right next to the old stadium.

Believe it or not, the Cardinals are entering their ninth Spring Training at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. For more than 50 years, the Redbirds called St. Petersburg, on Florida's other coast, their spring home.

National League MVP Albert Pujols and Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter anchor a club that is coming off back-to-back division championships and 100-plus-win seasons. A star-studded St. Louis cast also includes left-hander Mark Mulder, sluggers/Gold Glovers Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen and closer Jason Isringhausen.

The Redbirds feature plenty of new faces this year, but the core talent remains strong. So expectations are the same as always -- win the NL Central, get to the World Series and bring home St. Louis' first World Series championship since 1982.

If you're planning to head down to beautiful Palm Beach County, here are some suggestions for making the most of your trip.

When do the Cardinals arrive at camp?
Pitchers and catchers report on Thursday, Feb. 16, and start working out the next day. Report day for position players is Monday, Feb. 20, and they begin workouts on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

When do games start?
The first competition is Feb. 28, when the Cardinals take on Florida Atlantic University, though you shouldn't expect to see too many regulars in that game. The first Grapefruit League game is March 2, at home against the Mets.

Most of the Cards' games take place either at Roger Dean Stadium or within an hour's drive. Fort Lauderdale, home of the Orioles, is about 45 minutes south, and Port St. Lucie and the Mets are about 40 minutes north. Plus, the Cardinals have four "road" games against their co-tenants at Roger Dean, the Florida Marlins.