Cardinals 11, Rockies 4: Matt Holliday went 4-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs to help visiting St. Louis take sole possession of first place over Pittsburgh in the National League Central.

Matt Carpenter, Daniel Descalso and Yadier Molina drove in two runs apiece as the Cardinals finished with 18 hits and took a one-game lead over the Pirates, who lost 5-2 to San Diego. Joe Kelly (9-4) allowed three hits in five scoreless innings to improve to 9-2 as a starter this season.

Carpenter, who has 75 RBIs and 119 runs scored - tops among leadoff hitters in the major leagues, gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead with a two-out single in the second inning. He added another two-out RBI single in the third - when the Cardinals scored six runs and sent 11 batters to the plate - and came home on Holliday's base hit.

Holliday went deep with two outs in the fifth inning - a two-run shot to put St. Louis on top 10-0 and give him his eighth straight 20-homer season. The Cardinals' slugger, who batted .319 while hitting 128 blasts with Colorado in his first five major-league seasons, has a .360 lifetime average and 500 hits at Coors Field.

Juan Nicasio (8-8) was roughed up for eight runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings as Colorado fell to 5-10 in September. Michael Cuddyer went 2-for-3, including an RBI single that capped the Rockies' four-run seventh.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cuddyer raised his average to .331, four points higher than Atlanta's Chris Johnson in the NL batting race. ... Rockies C Wilin Rosario, who left Monday's game with a calf injury, aggravated it and departed after the second inning. ... St. Louis won its 40th road game, tying Los Angeles for most in the NL.