Astros fail to launch

Roger Clemens wasn't ready to talk about any endings for himself or the Houston Astros.

``We still have some baseball to be played," Clemens said after losing in what might have been the final start of his career, 4-1 to the Atlanta Braves last night. ``Standing here in front of y'all with two games left to play, that's pretty nice."

Houston's run at one of baseball's greatest late-season comebacks -- the Astros trailed in the division by 8 1/2 games on Sept. 20 -- was dealt another blow when Albert Pujols and first-place St. Louis beat Milwaukee, 10-5, extending the Cardinals' lead in the National League Central to 1 1/2 games.

``This just slowed us down a little bit," Astros manager Phil Garner said. ``We've been playing mighty good, and we've still got some momentum. We've got to take that to heart tonight."

With the score 0-0 in the sixth, first baseman Lance Berkman misplayed Chipper Jones grounder as Atlanta's first run scored in a two-run inning. Edgar Renteria and Jones added consecutive homers off Fernando Nieve in the eighth.

There were runners on first and third when Berkman charged in for a possible throw to the plate only to miss the ball.

``He was coming hard and that was going to be his play," Clemens said. ``We had just talked about that on the mound, that was what he was going to do on a hard-hit ball or a soft-hit ball."

Clemens (7-6), a 44-year-old righthander who has won seven Cy Young Awards in a big league career that began in 1984, allowed two runs -- one earned -- and six hits in six innings.

An emotional Clemens pounded his leg and his glove as he walked off the field following the sixth inning. The crowd of 31,034 rose in a standing ovation when Chris Burke was introduced as a pinch hitter for Clemens in the seventh.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis's desperately needed victory, Weaver won for the first time in nine home starts since joining the Cardinals, and Pujols and Preston Wilson homered to lead the home team.

Wilson hit a two-run homer in the second and Pujols added a three-run drive in a five-run third as St. Louis built an 8-1 lead against Chris Capuano (11-12).

Weaver (5-4) allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.