"His peers made their pronouncement official Sunday morning. The pitcher wasted no time ratifying their belief in the afternoon.

Waino is bueno.

Indeed, for the first time in his glowing six-year major-league career, Adam Wainwright learned before a Sunday start against the Milwaukee Brewers that for the first time he is All-Star bueno.

Wainswright's concise reply was to offer the Cardinals a 99-pitch, complete-game five-hitter that featured nine strikeouts without a walk. The 7-1 decision elevated Wainwright to the league lead in strikeouts, to second place in innings pitched and to two wins within Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez's major-league lead.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa described Wainwright's final pitch, a curve that left slugging first baseman Prince Fielder flailing, as "unfair."

Sunday's win left the Cardinals 4-3 on a home stand that snuffed their run of six consecutive series wins at Busch Stadium. They remain 1½ games off the Cincinnati Reds' division lead but are respected enough to send five players to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game next Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif.

"I was excited by it. I knew I had to pitch. But I think it's OK to be excited by it," said Wainwright, who learned of the honor in La Russa's office hours before his start.

After offering arguably their worst exhibition of the season in Saturday's 12-5 loss, the Cardinals seized upon consecutive third-inning errors by rookie Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar to pile five unearned runs atop a 1-0 lead. Wainwright, yet to allow more than four earned runs in any of 18 starts this season, made the rest just details.

All-Star right fielder Corey Hart kept Wainwright from constructing a second shutout in his last seven starts when he cranked a fourth-inning opposite-field home run. Wainwright allowed just one more runner to reach scoring position and faced only 19 hitters to get his last 18 outs.

Representing perhaps his manager's ultimate compliment, the Cardinals' bullpen never stirred.

"I'm just impressed with how well he pitches," La Russa said. "Understand that that's more important than stuff. His stuff is fine. But he pitches."

Wainwright (12-5) has reached a rarified realm where he can make a game look deceptively easy. He has failed to last at least six innings only once this season — a difficult four-inning outing in Toronto on June 24.

Recognition has now found him, a season after he failed to pitch in the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium despite a 10-5 first half accompanied by a 3.04 ERA."