Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Brian Moehler allowed just two hits over seven shutout innings, and the Houston Astros downed the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Moehler (3-2) struck out five and issued two walks as the Astros won for just the second time in their last nine games. Hunter Pence doubled and knocked in a run, while Geoff Blum hit a solo homer and Kaz Matsui added an RBI single.

"It was not really a consideration to let him go out for the eighth," said Astros manager Cecil Cooper. "He has not gone that long, and we just didn't want to take the chance."

Skip Schumaker and Adam Kennedy had two hits apiece for the Cardinals, losers of two straight. Braden Looper (7-5) dropped the decision after allowing five runs -- two earned -- on eight hits in six innings, tying a career high with seven strikeouts without walking a batter.

The Astros jumped on top of Looper in the third, rallying for a pair of two- out runs. With Humberto Quintero on first, Pence drilled an RBI double to the wall in right-center to give the Astros the lead, and Matsui lined a single up the middle to plate Pence. However, Matsui was thrown out trying to reach second, thwarting a further rally.

Houston pulled away in the fourth courtesy of several mistakes by the Astros. Darin Erstad led off with a double, and Looper followed by plunking Lance Berkman with a slider. Carlos Lee then grounded to short, but Cesar Izturis threw away his force attempt, allowing Erstad and Berkman to score and putting Lee on third. Blum followed with a soft grounder to Albert Pujols, who threw home, but Yadier Molina couldn't hang on to the ball as Lee scored for a 5-0 lead.

The Cardinals remained quiet until the eighth, when Kennedy led off with a single to center off Geoff Geary and moved to third after a pair of groundouts. Schumaker's infield single broke up the shutout bid, but Blum homered in the bottom half to restore the five-run lead and Jose Valverde struck out the side in the ninth.

"The Cardinals have been good all year," Cooper said. "They've got great pitching, and of course they've got that guy in the number three spot (Pujols)."