They lead the majors in homers. Their starting rotation is one of the NL’s best. So far, the defending World Series champion Cardinals don’t seem to miss Albert Pujols all that much.

Carlos Beltran and David Freese homered again on Tuesday night, and Kyle Lohse provided another stingy performance, leading St. Louis to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals are off to a 5-1 start for the first time since 2008, playing like champions in the season’s first week. No letup at all.

“If those guys keep doing that, we’re going to have a pretty good club,” first-year manager Mike Matheny said.

Beltran, counted on to help make up for the loss of Pujols, hit his third homer off Mike Leake (0-1). Freese, the World Series MVP, added a two-run shot off Leake — also his third.

St. Louis came into the game leading the majors with nine homers. It has five in its first two games at Great American Ball Park, which is one of the majors’ most homer-friendly places.

But it’s the pitching that’s getting the most plaudits.

Lohse (2-0) has made impressive starts in Florida’s summery warmth and Cincinnati’s April chill. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a 4-1 win in Miami last Wednesday, allowing only one run and two hits.

With temperatures in the 40s on Tuesday night, he was in control again, allowing Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly and four hits in six innings. Lohse took a little while to adjust to the vastly different conditions in his second start.

“It’s tough,” Lohse said. “You’re not going to get the same feel of the ball. You get a feel for what the ball is going to do. It was cold and a little windy.”

Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte retired the last nine batters in order, with Motte getting his second save in two chances.

The Cardinals rotation has been sensational so far, going 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA.

“Thank you!” Freese said. “It’s unbelievable. We’re going to win a ton of games when our starters are doing that.”

The Reds handed out another big contract before the game, giving second baseman Brandon Phillips a deal through 2017 worth $72.5 million. It came only five days after Votto got an additional 10 years and $225 million, looking to turn the 2010 NL Central champions into a consistent contender.

Phillips got a cramp in his left hamstring during a 7-1 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night and is expected to miss several days.

For the second game in a row, the Cardinals got to a Reds starter before he could break a sweat. They hit three homers in the first inning off Homer Bailey on Monday night.

Beltran hit Leake’s fifth pitch into the stands in right field. Leake escaped another big Cardinals first inning by getting Yadier Molina to ground into a double play with the bases loaded. Molina also grounded into a double play with two runners aboard in the eighth.

Lance Berkman, who has the most homers by a visiting player at Great American, tripled into the right-field corner in the sixth. Freese followed with his third homer, a drive that bounced off the top of the wall in right field and caromed up into the stands.

Leake thinks the Cardinals are just as formidable without Pujols, who left as a free agent for the Angels after the World Series championship.

“It’s still a difficult lineup,” Leake said. “They lost a big name, but they’re still a threat.”

Berkman left the game in the eighth with tightness in his left calf, which started bothering him after he ran out his triple.

Zack Cozart hit his second triple of the season in the bottom of the inning and scored on Votto’s sacrifice fly, making it 3-1.

— Associated Press —

With Albert Pujols gone, the St. Louis Cardinals see themselves as less of a power-driven team defending their World Series championship.

Could’ve fooled Homer Bailey.

Matt Holliday, David Freese and Yadier Molina homered off the Reds starter during the St. Louis Cardinals’ biggest first inning of the season, and Jake Westbrook found his control after a rough start, beating Cincinnati 7-1 on Monday night.

The Cardinals improved to 4-1 with an offense that hasn’t missed Pujols so far. They’ve piled up three homers in an inning twice already this season, with nine overall.

And they’ve done it without really trying.

“I don’t see us as very much of a home run-hitting team,” Freese said.

Manager Mike Matheny sees the homer spurt as more of a good start than the start of a trend.

“That’s a tough pace to keep up, but you take ’em when you can get ’em,” Matheny said. “Guys are having some good at-bats.”

Only 20 pitches into the game, Bailey (0-1) had his hands on his hips and a 4-0 deficit that the Reds couldn’t overcome. Molina broke the game open with a two-run double in the eighth inning.

Westbrook (1-0) overcame an early bout of wildness, allowing only three hits and one unearned run in seven innings. The right-hander slimmed down in the offseason and had an impressive spring training, getting the sink back on his fastball.

Both starters had a rough time early on a windy, 64-degree evening. Matheny said the Cardinals batting-practice pitchers had trouble getting a grip on the ball in the crisp conditions.

“I know exactly what was going on with him early,” Matheny said. “That’s the first time we’ve had that really dry air. The ball felt like it has Vaseline on it. He couldn’t grip it.”

Westbrook was pitching for the first time in nine days. Ten of his first 12 pitches were out of the strike zone. He walked four of the first 10 batters he faced, but didn’t allow a hit until Brandon Phillips singled with two outs in the fifth.

Phillips came around to score when Zack Cozart hit a comebacker that Westbrook knocked down with his glove. Westbrook retrieved the ball, but threw wildly toward first base for an error that allowed Phillips to score.

The All-Star second baseman got a cramp in his left hamstring as he scored and left the game as a precaution.

Westbrook got a better feel for his pitches after the second inning.

“It took me a little while to get going,” he said. “Once I figured it out, I pitched the way I’m capable of throwing. I just zoned it in.”

Bailey retired the first two Cardinals, then came apart. Holliday homered, Lance Berkman walked and Freese homered. Molina also homered on the next pitch, prompting Bailey to stand by the side of the mound with both hands scrunched on his hips in disbelief.

Freese, the World Series MVP, has hit safely in every game this season.

“I just got a little passive,” Bailey said. “I got the two quick outs and I didn’t say aggressive. Once you open that can of worms, it’s kind of hard to shut it. Plus the wind was blowing out. After that, I just wanted to go deep into the game. A couple of the balls they hit out were hit really solid.”

After the bad opening inning, Bailey settled in and allowed only two more hits while pitching into the sixth inning. Molina broke the game open with his double off Jose Arredondo in the eighth, which brought boos from the crowd of 16,909 that remembers his role in a brawl with Phillips two years ago.

Berkman wasn’t in the Cardinals’ original lineup because of a sore right hand. He took a few swings pregame and felt fine, getting back in the lineup at first base. He singled, struck out twice and walked twice.

The Cardinals wanted Berkman in the lineup — he has 23 homers at Great American Ball Park, the most by a visiting player.

— Associated Press —

With a dominant performance against a division rival, Lance Lynn gave the St. Louis Cardinals a big reason to believe they can count on him to help make up for Chris Carpenter’s absence.

Lynn pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-3 on Sunday, taking two out of three games in the series.

It was the third career start for Lynn (1-0), who played a key relief role during the Cardinals’ championship run last season. The 24-year-old right-hander was added to the rotation after Carpenter went on the disabled list with a nerve ailment in his throwing shoulder this spring.

“It’s still early, so hopefully I can build off what I did today and keep pitching well,” Lynn said. “Hopefully it gives us confidence that with Carp out for the time that he’s out, we can still win ballgames, and they have confidence in me.”

Ryan Braun hit his first home run of the year for the Brewers, a solo shot with the game well out of reach in the ninth.

“No matter who’s healthy and who’s not, they’ll find a way to put together five starters who can consistently keep them in games,” Braun said.

Beyond Corey Hart’s solo homer — his third home run in two days — the Brewers couldn’t muster much of anything when Lynn was in the game.

Manager Mike Matheny said the Cardinals aren’t the same team without Carpenter, but Lynn’s performance was just about the best they could hope for under the circumstances.

“We know what (Carpenter) brings to this team,” Matheny said. “But when the game deals you what it deals you, you hope somebody steps up.”

Lynn said he’s comfortable as a starter because he has been one for most of his career.

“Relieving was fun and I enjoyed it because I got to pitch in a lot of big situations and big games,” Lynn said. “That’s always fun, as a competitor you enjoy those situations, enjoy those challenges. I see this as a new challenge.”

Lynn gave up one run and struck out eight, a career high, while walking only one in 6 2/3 innings. He also picked Braun off first base to end the first and singled in the fourth for his first career hit.

“I got lucky, I guess,” Lynn said.

Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, his second of the season. Shane Robinson added a three-run shot in the ninth, the first homer of his career.

Randy Wolf (0-1) threw 108 pitches in five innings for the Brewers, giving up three runs and nine hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Matheny made several lineup changes for Sunday’s game, starting Tyler Greene at second base, Matt Carpenter at first, Tony Cruz at catcher and Robinson in center field. Even without a few of their regular players, the Cardinals managed to give Wolf some trouble.

“That does take a lot off of the long haul of the season, being able to have those days where you can throw that lineup out there and know they’re going to be able to put up some runs,” Matheny said.

Matt Holliday gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the first when he doubled to center and Rafael Furcal scored from first on a high throw home by Rickie Weeks. The Cardinals added another run in the fourth, when Furcal delivered a two-out RBI single.

Wolf gave up another run in the fifth on an RBI single by Freese, but he limited the damage by striking out Robinson with runners on first and second to end the inning.

Hart then homered off Lynn in the bottom of the fifth. Beltran homered off reliever Marco Estrada in the seventh, giving the Cardinals a 5-1 lead.

With Milwaukee trailing 6-1 in the eighth, Alex Gonzalez hit an RBI double to cut the deficit to four.

Brewers closer John Axford made his first appearance of the season in the ninth but was taken out of the game after back-to-back walks. Kameron Loe came in and gave up a three-run homer to Robinson.

Robinson had to bargain with the fan who caught the ball to get it back as a souvenir. Although the fan was asking for more, they settled on a ball autographed by some of the Cardinals’ veteran players.

“Hopefully, he was happy with that,” Robinson said, holding the ball in his hand. “But I really appreciated that he gave it up.”

— Associated Press —

A year ago, the Milwaukee Brewers had to get by without Zack Greinke or Corey Hart early in the season because of injuries. The importance of having both players healthy right away certainly showed on Saturday.

Hart homered twice, Greinke pitched four-hit ball for seven innings and the Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0.

“It makes a difference,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. “Last year, we didn’t have those two guys together for quite a while.”

Rickie Weeks homered while Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Gomez added RBI doubles for the Brewers, who rebounded after dropping Friday’s opener. Ryan Braun had a pair of doubles and drew a walk after going 0 for 5 on Friday.

Greinke (1-0) continued the dominant form he showed at Miller Park all last season. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven.

“That’s as good as it gets,” Roenicke said. “That’s what we saw in spring training.”

Greinke started last season on the disabled list after fracturing a rib in a pickup basketball game, and acknowledged that it took him a while to find his form. After a full spring training, that doesn’t appear to be a problem this year.

Greinke’s strong outing overshadowed the long-awaited return to the mound for the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, who missed all of the 2011 season after having elbow surgery.

Wainwright (0-1) went 5 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and three runs with a walk and six strikeouts. It was his first regular-season start since Sept. 24, 2010, a span of 563 days.

“There’s ways to be more efficient out there, especially today,” Wainwright said. “You never want to fall behind as many times as I did early on today. Really nothing besides Corey Hart, nothing really hurt me, but that’s a bad habit to get into.”

Hart led off the second with a monster home run, so deep that left fielder Matt Holliday didn’t even move when the ball came off the bat.

Not bad for a guy who had surgery on his right knee a month ago.

“The trainers gave me a lot to do, and I did it,” Hart said. “I didn’t want to back down from anything. I told them to kind of push me to see if I could, because I wanted to be here.”

Wainwright settled down until the sixth, when he allowed a leadoff single to Weeks, then committed a throwing error that allowed Nyjer Morgan to reach first on a sacrifice bunt attempt.

Wainwright then got Braun to hit into a double play, sending Weeks to third. Ramirez doubled off the wall in left-center field, scoring Weeks to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny lifted Wainwright in favor of Victor Marte, and Hart pounced on a pitch for a two-run homer to center and a 4-0 lead. It was the 12th multi-homer game of Hart’s career.

“I think it was big for us to come back today and show that we’re still a good team, and I think we did that,” Hart said. “Tomorrow will be the rubber match, but I think they know going forward, and we know going forward, they’re a good team and we’re a good team and it’s going to be a battle all year.”

Greinke was lifted after seven. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Veras closed out the ninth for Milwaukee. Roenicke said he had “no thoughts” about letting Greinke go for a complete game so early in the season.

Greinke noted that the back end of the Brewers’ bullpen is so good with Rodriguez and closer John Axford that complete-game chances could be hard to come by.

“It’s going to be tough to get to eight all year,” Greinke said.

Greinke was unbeatable at home for the Brewers last season, going 11-0 with a 3.13 ERA in 15 home starts during the regular season, and getting a win in the playoffs.

Greinke can become a free agent at the end of the season, making his future a critical question for the Brewers. General manager Doug Melvin said Friday that he and Greinke’s agent, Casey Close, discussed a potential new deal.

“If he does this for us this year, all this year, he is going to have some kind of year,” Roenicke said.

— Associated Press —

The St. Louis Cardinals aren’t counting on one single player to replace Albert Pujols.

And when four different players hit home runs off Yovani Gallardo, it certainly looks like a team-wide approach to making up for Pujols’ departure just might work for the defending champions.

David Freese hit a two-run drive and Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday hit solo shots off Gallardo, helping the Cardinals spoil the Milwaukee Brewers’ opener with an 11-5 victory on Friday.

“That’s where we’re going to have to be able to overcome the loss of Albert, is finding ways to score runs, tack on runs,” Holliday said. “You get the big four-spot, but we kept scoring.”

Gallardo (0-1) struggled with his control from the start and lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and six runs with five walks and three strikeouts.

“I think he would tell you he probably didn’t have his best stuff today,” Holliday said. “We got his pitch count up and got him in some hitters’ counts. He’ll be good. I just don’t think he had a good day.”

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke gave Gallardo the opening-day start ahead of Zack Greinke, despite Gallardo’s career 1-7 record against the Cardinals with a 5.66 ERA coming into Friday’s game.

Holliday wasn’t sure why the Cardinals play so well against one of the two Brewers aces they’ll face in the series.

“I don’t know if that’s one of those things that you can really put a finger on,” Holliday said. “I don’t think there’s one particular thing. He’s a great pitcher, so I don’t see why it would be like that.”

Jaime Garcia (1-0) pitched six solid innings for St. Louis, yielding two runs — both in the first inning — and five hits.

“Our offense is unbelievable,” Garcia said. “The guys are doing an amazing job. So when you give up two runs and your offense comes back and scores four, you feel like you want to be there for your team.”

Ryan Braun was 0 for 5 and new Brewers cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez was 0 for 4.

“Braun hit a couple balls hard, so you don’t discount that,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He looks like his timing is pretty good. They’ve got guys that are going to hit the ball.”

The Cardinals are in Milwaukee for a three-game series after opening with a victory over the Marlins in Miami on Wednesday night, and so far they’re making the most of a somewhat disjointed start to the season.

“They kind of gave us an unfavorable schedule for a team that just won the World Series, but to get a couple wins already, it’s good,” Holliday said.

Brewers fans gave a rousing reception to Braun, both before the game and the first few times he stepped to the plate. It was a show of support for the NL MVP, whose potential 50-game suspension for a positive drug test was overturned by an arbitrator before spring training.

Braun said before the game he hoped to show fans he can handle the offseason controversy and return to his MVP form after struggling in spring training.

With the Cardinals trailing 2-0 after the first inning, Molina smashed a pitch into the right-field bullpen to start the second.

Things got worse from there.

Gallardo gave up back-to-back shots to Beltran and Holliday to start the third. Gallardo then walked Lance Berkman and gave up his third homer of the inning to Freese.

After walking Molina, Gallardo finally got three straight outs.

Roenicke lifted Gallardo after he allowed an RBI single to Freese that put the Cardinals up 6-2. Marco Estrada got the final out of the inning.

“They’re tough,” Gallardo said. “They have good hitters up and down their lineup. They do it all. They have everything — they hit for power and average. They take advantage of mistakes. The balls I left up in the zone today, they took advantage of.”

Milwaukee had runners on first and third with one out in the fifth, but Jonathan Lucroy was called for interference when he ran into Cardinals second baseman Daniel Descalso while Descalso was trying to field a grounder. Carlos Gomez flied out to end the inning.

Things started out well for the Brewers, who grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first. But they didn’t score again until pinch hitter George Kottaras connected for a three-run homer in the ninth.

— Associated Press —

The sellout crowd in the Miami Marlins’ new ballpark cheered the introduction of their starters, who were accompanied by women dressed as Latin showgirls. There was another roar for Muhammad Ali, who delivered the first pitch.

Then Kyle Lohse and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals went to work, and the place grew quiet.

Lohse held Miami hitless until the seventh inning and pitched into the eighth to help the Cardinals win the first game in Marlins Park, 4-1, on Wednesday night.

The Marlins’ new animated home-run sculpture never budged. It was the fourth inning before they even managed a baserunner, and by the time they scored in the eighth, they trailed 4-0.

“It’s a good ballpark for a pitcher, obviously,” Lohse said. “It’s pretty hard to get it out.”

New Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was asked if the team’s new home is a pitcher’s park.

“For Lohse, yes,” Guillen said. “But it’s too early to say how the ballpark is going to play.”

The crowd of 36,601 included newly retired Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who quietly rooted for his former team from the press box.

He watched Lohse retire the first 10 batters before hitting Emilio Bonifacio with a pitch. The runner was erased when Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play.

Newcomer Jose Reyes singled for Miami’s first hit to start the seventh, and Omar Infante scored the Marlins’ run in the eighth on John Buck’s double. Lohse went 7 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and one run.

The right-hander led the Cardinals last year in victories and ERA but got the call for opening day only because ace Chris Carpenter is sidelined with nerve irritation that has caused weakness in his pitching shoulder.

David Freese, the World Series MVP, had a two-run single in the first inning to give Lohse the cushion he needed. Freese and Rafael Furcal each had three of the Cardinals’ 13 hits.

“Tonight was fun,” Freese said. “It’s always nice to get the season going and to open up here, beautiful ballpark, the fans were excited about it and so were we.”

Jason Motte earned the save with a one-hit ninth, completing the four-hitter and sending the Cardinals to the clubhouse to celebrate first-year manager Mike Matheny’s debut win.

“We gave him a little water shower,” Lohse said. “Most people go with the adult beverage but we went with the water.”

Things were so bad for Guillen’s team that Marlins ace Josh Johnson recorded the ballpark’s first strikeout — as a hitter.

Johnson allowed 10 hits and three runs in six innings. The 2010 NL ERA leader was pitching for the first time since last May 16, when shoulder inflammation ended his year.

Ramirez, making the switch to third base from shortstop, had an especially rough night. He drew scattered boos when he pulled up rather than dive for a grounder to his left, and he failed to throw out Furcal on a bunt that went for a hit. Ramirez also struck out with a runner aboard in the ninth to finish 0 for 4.

Both teams began the season with a new look. The Marlins, anticipating better attendance and higher revenue in their new home, acquired three All-Stars in an offseason spending spree. The Cardinals, coming off a thrilling late-season charge to the World Series title, lost slugger Albert Pujols to free agency and La Russa to retirement.

La Russa visited with Matheny before the game. Also on hand was baseball commissioner Bud Selig, who said his reaction to the ballpark was, “Wow.”

Among the eye-catching features is the colorful home-run sculpture beyond the center-field wall, but the Marlins failed to activate it, although Giancarlo Stanton did send two flies to the warning track.

The retractable roof, which is expected to be closed for all but about 10 games, was opened 30 minutes before the first pitch, revealing a nearly full moon on a 79-degree evening. Surprise guest Ali delivered the first pitch, which Ramirez gently took from the champ’s hand.

The first pitch from Johnson to Rafael Furcal caught the outside corner for a called strike. Furcal then grounded to new shortstop Reyes for the first out.

Cardinals newcomer Carlos Beltran followed with the first hit, a sharp single to right. He took third on a double by Lance Berkman, and Freese drove in both runs with a two-out single.

Furcal’s two-out RBI single in the second made it 3-0, and a 50-foot groundout by Daniel Descalso brought home an insurance run in the eighth.

— Associated Press —