"In a wild night at Busch Stadium that saw left fielder Matt Holliday and right fielder Lance Berkman both leave the game early with - the Cardinals hope - minor injuries, pitcher Kyle Lohse kept on doing what he's been doing all season.

Lohse improved his record to 5-2 with a 5-1 victory over the Astros on Wednesday night. He allowed six hits and struck out three in eight innings as the Cardinals moved to a half-game in back of Cincinnati in the Central Division. Lohse had gone winless in his past three starts, though in the previoius two he gave up three runs total.

Holliday left the game after the second inning as a precaution after feeling tightness in his left quadricep. Berkman left the game after the top of the fifth inning after feeling discomfort in his right wrist after making a diving catch for the first out of the inning. There was no immediate word on the severity of either injury.

That paved the way for all sorts of things. Mark Hamilton came in and played one inning for Holliday in left before Allen Craig, who started the game at second, was moved there. Tyler Greene took over Craig at second, but before long, he was playing in right after Berkman came out."