St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Kyle Lohse threw seven strong innings to win his seventh consecutive decision as the Cardinals blew out the New York Mets, 7-1, on a night Mark Mulder made his return to the majors.

Lohse (10-2) allowed five hits and one unearned run while walking two batters and logging four strikeouts to remain unbeaten over his last 10 outings and hasn't lost since May 8 at Colorado. The seven-game winning streak ties the longest of his career.

Mulder yielded two hits and struck out a batter while pitching the ninth inning - his first major league game of 2008. The Cardinals left-hander is trying to work his way back from two injury-plagued seasons. He had surgery on his left shoulder at the end of the 2006 season and missed almost all of 2007. Monday marked his first career relief appearance in the majors.

Albert Pujols drove in two runs and Chris Duncan clubbed a two-run homer for the Cardinals, winners of three straight following a three-game skid. Aaron Miles extended his hitting streak to 12 games, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the opener of the four-game series.

John Maine (8-6) was charged with seven hits and five runs -- three earned -- over four innings for New York, losers in three of its last four games.

The Mets committed three errors and scored their lone run on a Cardinals miscue.

It was a rough start for Maine, who allowed the first four batters to reach base, although the Cardinals scored only twice in the first inning. Skip Schumaker walked, and Miles and Pujols singled to account for the first run. Rick Ankiel walked to load the bases, and Troy Glaus' double-play grounder made it a 2-0 margin.

Yadier Molina singled to lead off the bottom of the second, and two outs later Mets second baseman Luis Castillo let a ball go through his legs on Schumaker's grounder, leading to the third run.

Glaus doubled in Ankiel in the third and Pujols' base hit in the fourth scored Miles.

The Mets' only run came in the fifth. Andy Phillips laced a pinch-hit single, and with two down scored following a Castillo base hit combined with a throwing error from Ankiel.

Glaus was hit by a pitch from Carlos Muniz to begin the bottom of the inning, and Duncan followed with a homer to right, his fifth.

The Cardinals, who stranded 11 runners, wasted bases-loaded chances in the seventh and eighth innings.