ST. LOUIS — Considering the St. Louis Cardinals entered the season without a full-time closer, the ninth inning has been in very secure hands.

Ryan Franklin had a 1-2-3 finish for the second straight game in Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's 9 for 9 after taking over when rookie Jason Motte struggled at the start of the year, and hasn't allowed a run in 13Z\c innings.

"I'd say that's the hardest job in baseball," manager Tony La Russa said. "You've just got to keep him fresh, because when he's fresh he's got it all working."

Todd Wellemeyer threw seven innings of four-hit ball and Jason LaRue hit a go-ahead homer in the fifth for the Cardinals, who won two straight against the Pirates after opening a four-game homestand with two losses against the Philadelphia Phillies. Leadoff batter Skip Schumaker had three hits and scored twice.

The 36-year-old Franklin had 17 saves in 25 chances last year, stepping in when Jason Isringhausen was twice demoted from the closer role.

St. Louis batted around in a four-run fifth that started with LaRue's first homer of the season. Ross Ohlendorf (3-3) hit Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick in consecutive at-bats, the latter with the bases loaded. Chris Duncan had a sacrifice fly and Khalil Greene singled in a run.

Ohlendorf felt he slowed down too much in the fifth.

"My fastball command wasn't as good as it was the rest of the game," Ohlendorf said. "I had a chance to help us end a losing streak and didn't come through like I needed to."

Ohlendorf departed after six innings trailing 5-1, although he singled up the middle in the third for his first major league hit after an 0-for-18 start.

Robinzon Diaz hit his first career homer and Nate McLouth had an RBI single for the Pirates, who have lost nine of 10 while getting shut out three times and scoring two runs twice. Manager John Russell played a lot of reserves and fielded a lineup that entered with seven homers, four fewer than Pujols.

"We changed things up a little, but we still didn't score any runs," Russell said. "It was one of those games where we couldn't get much going."