Chicago ? With Scott Rolen’s bat and Jim Edmonds’ arm, the St. Louis Cardinals didn’t need Albert Pujols.

Rolen made up for the ailing Pujols’ absence with a three-run homer, Edmonds threw out what would have been the tying run, and the Cardinals held on to beat Chicago, 4-3, Monday night for their 10th victory in 12 games.

“It doesn’t matter how you do it or when you do it as long as it gets done,” said Rolen, who has an major-league-best 60 RBIs. “We put them all together right there in that inning, and that was all Carpenter needed.”

Reggie Sanders also homered for the Cardinals, and Chris Carpenter (7-1) tied his career-best with his sixth straight win. He gave up three runs and nine hits in 81/3 innings, striking out six and walking none.

Jason Isringhausen got the final out for his 13th save in 16 chances.

Corey Patterson and Glendon Rusch homered for the Cubs, and Chicago limited the Cardinals to just one hit over the final five innings. But it wasn’t enough to keep Chicago from losing for the ninth time in 13 games.

Rusch (2-1) gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings.

“We got another one-run loss,” Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. “We’re going to have to start winning these one-run games soon, getting some singles and runners in scoring position.”

Carpenter has been a good-luck charm of sorts for the Cardinals, who have won in each of his last eight starts, and they needed a boost without Pujols. The NL batting champion missed his first game of the season after straining his left hamstring running the bases Sunday, and the Cardinals don’t know when he’ll return.

But the Cardinals made the most of their six hits and got to Rusch for four runs in the fourth inning.

The Cubs got one of the runs back in the fourth on Derrek Lee’s RBI double, and Rusch helped out his cause with a first-pitch homer in the fifth, the second home run of his career.

“I don’t have an explanation for that,” Rusch said, smiling. “It felt good.”

He could have felt even better if the Cubs hadn’t blown their other chances to score in the fifth inning.

When Michael Barrett singled to center, Jose Macias hesitated going from second to third and third-base coach Wendell Kim had no choice but to hold him. Moises Alou followed with a shallow fly to center and Macias — one of the Cubs’ best runners — sprinted for home.

But Edmonds made a perfect throw, and Macias was out at the plate on the inning-ending double play.

“That’s why he’s a Gold Glover, he runs them down,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “I think he’s as strong and accurate a thrower as there is in the major leagues.”

Giants 10, Rockies 5

Denver — Pedro Feliz homered twice, and Yorvit Torrealba hit a three-run homer that staked San Francisco to a five-run lead in the first inning.

Pinch-hitter Damon Minor singled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning. The Giants won three of four and sent Colorado to its fifth series loss at Coors Field this season.

Barry Bonds didn’t start for the Giants, though he drew an intentional walk as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

Jim Brower (3-3) pitched the sixth as four Giants relievers combined for four hitless innings. Minor, batting for Cody Ransom, singled with two outs off Steve Reed (0-1).