Rolen hit two home runs, combining with Albert Pujols for back-to-back shots in the eighth inning that sent the Cardinals past the Houston Astros 6-4 on a miserable Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series.

After Pujols' tiebreaking drive, Rolen connected in the rain to give the Cardinals consecutive home runs for the first time in their long, proud postseason history.

It was especially rewarding for Rolen. Nursing a strained left calf, the All-Star slugger was 0-for-14 in this year's playoffs before an RBI single in Game 1.

"I don't know what my postseason numbers are, but tonight I contributed to help us win a ballgame," Rolen said.

And what did his teammates say?

"About damn time," Rolen said, laughing.

The conditions were awful all evening, with drizzle delaying the start for almost a half-hour and the wet weather lasting through the final pitch. But in the end, with temperatures falling into the mid-40s, no one in the sellout crowd at Busch Stadium was complaining.

Larry Walker also homered for St. Louis in a series dominated by the sluggers. Carlos Beltran hit his sixth homer of the postseason and Morgan Ensberg also homered as the Astros took a 3-0 lead.

"The good thing is this isn't a two-game series," Houston manager Phil Garner said. "We're not where we want to be certainly, but we'll work this thing out."

Roger Clemens will start Game 3 Saturday when the series shifts to Minute Maid Park.

The Rocket will face Jeff Suppan. If Clemens can pull the Astros close, then 20-game winner Roy Oswalt will have a chance to even it in Game 4.

"Those guys have been our horses all year and we'll turn to them now and ask them to do what they've been doing all year, and that's win for us," Garner said.

Still, the Cardinals hold a commanding edge.

Of 61 clubs that have fallen behind 0-2 in a best-of-seven postseason baseball series, only 12 have come back to win.

Julian Tavarez got the victory in relief. Jason Isringhausen worked around two walks in the ninth, getting Ensberg on a long fly out to finish for his second save of the NLCS.

Dan Miceli took the loss as the Astros' bullpen continued to falter. He took over to begin the eighth and gave up home runs to the first two batters he faced.

Rolen showed no ill effects in Game 2 as he and Walker hit two-run homers that put St. Louis ahead 4-3 in the fifth. Rolen was the first batter Chad Harville faced after he relieved journeyman starter Pete Munro.

Beltran's sixth homer of the postseason helped the Astros to a 3-0 lead off Matt Morris.

Houston later made it 4-all in the seventh when Lance Berkman doubled, stole third and scored when Ensberg grounded a single past the drawn-in infield.

The Cardinals were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position before Walker delivered the big hit they needed. The slugger completed his cycle, albeit a day later - he tripled, doubled and singled in a 10-7 win in the opener.

Munro gave the Astros what they needed, at least for a while. But like unheralded Brandon Backe in the opener, Munro was pulled after 4 2/3 innings.

And for the second straight day, the Houston bullpen quickly gave away the edge.

Munro pitched in and out of trouble all night. Even so, he did a lot better than most people expected from a guy who began the season at Triple-A for Minnesota, was released in June, signed with the Astros and got sent back to the minors in August.

Beltran homered on the third pitch of the game, lining a shot into the right-field box seats.

Ensberg made it 2-0 with a leadoff shot in the fourth.

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