Ludwick OK with being a bit lucky

ST. LOUIS -- A blustery day at Busch Stadium made the ballpark seem a whole lot smaller. In the end, the wind was blowing the St. Louis Cardinals' way.

Ryan Ludwick got plenty of carry on his game-winning drive off Dan Wheeler in the 10th inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' 9-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

"I'm sitting on slider, he threw it and I hit it kind of straight up in the air," Ludwick said. "But I knew the wind was blowing out pretty good, and I got lucky.

"It got out of the ballpark and thank goodness, it's a 'W.' "

Center fielder B.J. Upton may have jammed his shoulder at the wall, grabbing it after coming down empty, but manager Joe Maddon said he was OK.

Carlos Pena's 3-run shot in the seventh inning on a ball to center that seemed destined for the warning track helped the erase the Rays' 4-run deficit.

Ludwick also homered in the fourth and drew a bases-loaded walk, and Albert Pujols homered with 2 RBI a day after his 42-game streak of reaching base ended, helping the Cardinals win for only the third time in 11 games. The AL East-leading Rays lost for just the second time in 10 games.

"The ball was really carrying in all directions," La Russa said. "The 3-run homer that Pena hit, that's not a home run here most of the time. Neither was the home run in the 10th."

Ludwick hit the first pitch from Wheeler (0-3) with one out an estimated 402 feet and just over the wall in left-center for the second winning homer of his career. He has 4 career 2-homer games, including 2 this season.

Ryan Franklin (2-1) allowed 2 walks in 2 scoreless innings.