Cubs hold off Cardinals

ST. LOUIS — The return of Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano trumped the soap opera setting of Jim Edmonds' homecoming and Albert Pujols' 300th home run.

Zambrano came off the 15-day disabled list from a shoulder strain with six spotless innings Friday night, leading Chicago to a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series matching the National League's top two teams.

Slumping Kosuke Fukudome homered in the first inning and Geovany Soto connected in the fourth to give the Cubs only their third victory in nine games. Both balls came on full-count pitches from Braden Looper, and were the only damage against the right-hander in seven innings.

Pujols became the fifth-youngest player to 300 with an eighth-inning shot off the left-field foul pole against Bob Howry. He's 5-for-9 with two homers against Howry, and made it to the milestone at 28 years, 170 days, beating Hall of Famer Mel Ott by one day. Alex Rodriguez is the youngest to 300 homers at 27 years, 249 days.

Edmonds' first game in St. Louis as an opposing player dominated pre-game discussions, especially after St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said he'd ignore him rather than applaud or boo. La Russa was miffed about Edmonds' recent comments that he was happy to be with the Cubs and tired of talking about his past.

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