(AP) -- First-year starter Kyle McClellan became the National League's first six-game winner and backup catcher Gerald Laird made his 10th start of the season count with a two-run double as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Thursday for a two-game sweep.
Allen Craig homered in a three-hit game as the stand-in cleanup batter for injured Matt Holliday.
The Cardinals completed a 4-0 homestand behind stingy pitching that allowed only five runs.
They jumped a half-game ahead of the Reds atop the NL Central.
J.A. Happ (3-5) had a season-high eight strikeouts for the Astros, allowing three runs in six innings.
Houston has lost five in a row, totaling just 29 hits while getting outscored 22-10.
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