From Wire Reports

ST. LOUIS - Rick Ankiel slapped a two-run, two-out single to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a three-run rally and lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs yesterday. The win brought the Cardinals (50-39) to 2½ games of the first-place Cubs (52-36) in the National League Central.

St. Louis rallied against Chicago closer Kerry Wood (4-2), who blew his fifth save of the season in 27 chances. Wood walked the first two batters in the ninth and gave up a run-scoring double to Adam Kennedy before Ankiel's two-out hit won the game. St. Louis reliever Kyle McClellan (1-3) picked up his first major league victory in relief.

Chicago infielder Aramis Ramirez broke a 2-2 tie by hitting a 2-0 pitch from reliever Ryan Franklin over the wall in left-center field for his 15th homer of the season in front of 46,865 fans, a new record for the three-year-old Busch Stadium.

The Cubs jumped to a 1-0 lead in the third on Mark DeRosa's 11th home run. Ryan Theriot singled in DeRosa in the fifth to push the advantage to 2-0.

St. Louis rallied to tie the game in the sixth against starter Ted Lilly. Ankiel led off the inning with his 18th homer. He hit a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right-center. The home run pushed Ankiel into a tie with Albert Pujols for the team lead in home runs.

Pujols followed Ankiel's blast with a double into left-center. One out later, Ryan Ludwick hit a double down the line in left to score Pujols.

Lilly, who was unbeaten in his five previous starts, allowed just two runs in six innings. He has given up just six runs in his last four road starts.

St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse gave up two runs in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two. Derrek Lee had three of the Cubs' nine hits. He began the eighth inning rally with a leadoff double. Lee has 10 hits in his last 20 at-bats.

Ankiel had three hits and three RBI, and Pujols had two hits. Cardinals' catcher Yadier Molina kept his 12-game hitting streak alive with a sixth-inning infield single.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Perry ignites Braves' win over Astros

ATLANTA - Jason Perry Perry hit a run-scoring triple in his first major league at-bat, Tim Hudson gave up only one run in seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night to end a five-game losing streak. The Braves, who hadn't led a game in a week, won hours after the demotion of Jeff Francouer to Double-A Mississippi. Perry, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Richmond, drove in Brian McCann from first base with a triple to the right-field wall in the second inning.

Zambrano shines in Cubs' win

ST. LOUIS - Carlos Zambrano came off the 15-day disabled list from a shoulder strain with six spotless innings, leading Chicago to a 2-1 win Friday night. Kosuke Fukudome homered in the first inning, and Geovany Soto connected in the fourth as the Cubs offset Albert Pujols' 300th career home run for the Cardinals.

Phillies rally past Mets 3-2

PHILADELPHIA - Shane Victorino's two-out RBI single in the ninth inning lifted Philadelphia to a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night. Duaner Sanchez (3-1) retired the first two batters before Pedro Feliz doubled to left field. Victorino followed with a liner to right to score Feliz. The NL East-leading Phillies have won four straight after losing 13 of 18.

Baek, Padres rattle Diamondbacks

PHOENIX - Cha Seung Baek threw six shutout innings for his first win in seven starts this season, and the San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Friday night to drop the NL West leaders below .500. Arizona (43-44) saw its lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers slip to a half-game, its narrowest margin since April 7.