ST. LOUIS -- The Pirates' lineup, as presently constituted, is far more likely to annoy opposing pitchers than to annihilate them.

Well, consider Todd Wellemeyer annoyed.

Seriously annoyed.

He was dinked, blooped, pecked and poked, just about every form of offense shy of a ball clearing a fence, in giving up five runs and a dozen hits in five innings of the Pirates' 7-4 carving of the St. Louis Cardinals last night at Busch Stadium.

"It could be the full moon," a visibly exasperated Wellemeyer said afterward. "Every broken bat, the ball found a hole. It's just one of those days where everything fines a hole. It was just ridiculous. That's just the way these guys play us. It's crazy."

To boot, there would be a home run, too, by Nate McLouth off reliever Brad Thompson.

Zach Duke limited St. Louis to three runs -- just one of those earned -- and five hits over 6 1/3 innings. But it was the offense, light though most of it was with 12 of the total of 17 hits being singles, that turned the outcome:

• Freddy Sanchez went 4 for 5 with a double to raise his average to an absurd .571 in the very early going, the 11th four-hit game of his career. He nearly had the Pirates' first five-hit game in years -- Brian Giles on July 29, 2000 -- but was called out on a close play trying to leg out an infield single in the seventh.

• Jack Wilson also went 4 for 5 with two RBIs, the 12th four-hit game of his career. His average is at .462.

• Brandon Moss, a day after being rested, went 3 for 4 with a double.

• Nyjer Morgan had two more hits and now has six in three games out of the leadoff spot.

• Ryan Doumit went 2 for 4 with a double and RBI.

"We're just going one after the other, making things happen," Morgan said. "You've got to love that feeling."

No one is feeling it more than Sanchez right now, judging from his confident, aggressive approach at the plate.

"It's getting better and better each day," he said. "But that was a good win for the whole team, really."

The Pirates began pecking in the first, when Doumit followed Sanchez's single with a two-out shot to deep center, but it bounced over the fence for a book-rule double, and Sanchez had to stay at third. Adam LaRoche grounded out.

No matter. They went station-to-station in the second to leap ahead, 4-0.

Two were aboard for Wilson before his RBI bouncer up the middle. After an out, Morgan swatted a run-scoring single into center. Sanchez's broken-bat flare landed in left for another. McLouth walked to load the bases, and Doumit's liner into right brought the fourth.

St. Louis nicked Duke for an unearned run in the bottom half, but, again, no matter.

Moss doubled to open the third, took another base on Ramon Vazquez's willful grounder to the right side and trotted home on another Wilson RBI single to make it 5-1.

Wellemeyer was out after five fatiguing innings -- 93 pitches -- but, again, no matter.

The Pirates promptly welcomed Thompson in the sixth with a Sanchez double and McLouth's drive into the bullpen beyond right-center, and it was 7-2.

"We really swung the bats well, top to bottom," manager John Russell said. "We could have scored a few more, too."

Duke was sound throughout in recording just his second road victory the past two seasons. His command was sharp, and his zip was best evidenced by four strikeouts.

"Zach was very good," Russell said. "Worked both side of the plate and changed speeds. Looked a lot like spring training."

"We kept trying to break through, but their starter pitched a good game," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "He was good the whole night."

One strikeout in particular, a jarring whiffing of Albert Pujols in the first inning, best illustrated the additional arm strength -- and resultant confidence -- Duke seems to have gained over the offseason: It took three fastballs, the last of those freezing him on the inside corner.

Who gets away with that?

"I have no idea where that came from," Duke said. "But I'll take it."

John Grabow carried it through the eighth. Tyler Yates gave up a run in the ninth, creating a save situation, and Matt Capps came on to close it out.

The Pirates, having taken two of three, will go for the series this afternoon.