Cardinals get to Harang in 5-2 win over Phillies

ST. LOUIS - The fifth start of Aaron Harang's tenure with the Phillies was marred by the fifth inning. The St. Louis Cardinals tagged him Wednesday night for four runs in the frame, matching the total the veteran righthander had surrendered over his first 261/3 innings in red pinstripes.

Harang lasted six innings in a 5-2 loss, but the five runs he allowed snapped his streak of eight consecutive quality starts dating to last season.

The defeat guaranteed that the Phillies (8-14), winners of just two of 10 road games, can at best only split the four-game series at Busch Stadium that ends Thursday afternoon.

St. Louis (14-6) managed nine hits, three for extra bases, all of which came against Harang. In the fateful fifth inning, the speedy Peter Bourjos hit an RBI triple and then beat Ryan Howard's throw home on a Matt Carpenter groundout. Matt Adams followed with a double, Jhonny Peralta with a run-scoring single.

"They're a good ball club," Harang said. "They've kind of got everything over there. When they put it together, they can make things happen."

The Phillies could have offered Harang more of a cushion in the top half of the fifth. On Odubel Herrera's RBI single, Ben Revere overran third base and was caught in a rundown while trying to get back. He had reached base on a failed sacrifice-bunt attempt with runners on first and second and no outs.

"Actually, the whole game I thought was decided in the fifth," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "We had a chance to put some more runs up on the board. Too soft of a bunt and the bad baserunning [cost us]. It would've been nice to get one more run there for Harang, and who knows, that might've made a difference in the bottom half."

Harang, a potential trade chip for the Phillies, struck out six and walked just one. The soon-to-be- 37-year-old was coming off Friday night's eight-inning, two-hit performance against the Braves. Wednesday saw him throw only 86 pitches, 57 for strikes.

Harang entered the night with a 1.37 ERA, tied for the fourth-best mark in the National League. He has logged at least six innings in each of his five starts.

The loss wasted Howard's fourth home run of the season. The 3-1 change-up from Carlos Martinez that Howard lifted over the fence in right-center was the Missouri native's 20th career homer against the Cardinals. That's his highest total against a non-divisional opponent.

Each of Howard's home runs has come in his last eight games. He has three in the last five games.

"I've always been kind of a slow-start kind of guy," he said. "You just try to take it as they come and just keep putting good ABs together. Hit 'em high, hit 'em low."

An 0-for-4 night by Jeff Francoeur dropped the rightfielder's average to .180. He is 5 for 40 batting out of the cleanup spot this season. Is it time for Howard to return to the No. 4 spot in the order?

"That's something you've got to ask the manager," Howard said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can wherever I am.

"I feel that I'm a four-hole guy, and I've been there most of my career. But again, that's his call."

@jakemkaplan