There was Pujols, in the Cardinals clubhouse after his ninth multi home run game of the season that included a 10^th inning grand slam home run. It was his fifth grand slam this season, 11^th of his career off Mets relief pitcher Sean Green. In the eighth inning, Pujols hit his 35^th homer off Santana that narrowed the Cards deficit to 7-5.

But the media surrounding Pujols wanted to know more about the 0-for-13 slump before his four hit-five RBI game that included a single and double.  “I didn’t change my approach,” commented Pujols, when asked about his supposed problems at the plate. The questions continued and another side of Pujols appeared.

A four-time NL Most Valuable Player award recipient from the Latino Sports writers and Broadcast Association, Pujols, always receptive to the media, showed another side of his competitive spirit. He was very defensive and made it known.  It is about winning, a team effort, and even the best, as he is, are bound to have some bad days at the plate.

“As long as you get quality at bats at the end of the day something is going to happen,” he said.  The questions were repetitive and Pujols would get impatient.  The National League home run leader with 36 and in RBI with 97 defended himself. His team in a first place battle with Chicago in the NL Central may have had their biggest comeback of the season, scoring eight times in the last three innings in a 12-7 10-inning win over New York.

He wanted to end the post game media session. The answers were abrupt. Pujols probably knew the questions were going to revolve around him, the mini slump, rather than how important this win was for the Cardinals.

“That’s what it’s all about,” he said commenting about the win and not his power at the plate.  “It’s not about Pineiro, or me, it’s about winning games.  I don’t know why I have five grand slams. Its part of dedication and getting good swings,” he said.

The grand slam placed Pujols into a four-way tie for second on the list for most slams in a season, Former New York Yankee, Don Mattingly had six in 1987.  His reference to starting pitcher starter Joel Pineiro was in regard to how his team was able to pick him up after he gave up seven runs.

“I’m human and not a machine,” said Pujols as the questions kept coming about his big night at Citi Field.  A player of his magnitude, at times is always expected to get the big hit, have the multi home run game. So going hitless in 13 at bats and then having a night like he did can lead to questions. But they should not because Pujols is human and will have a brief slump or two during the course of a long season.

He has nothing to prove. His bat in the end will do the talking for him. “You guys know,” he said to the media. “I take the same swings that I have the past two weeks. I work hard. I’m ready every day.  I didn’t put my head down.  I don’t change myself and I don’t change my approach.”

Interesting to see what would have happened had the Cardinals lost in extra innings. Pujols would have been honest with his answers as he always is.  And the answers would not have revolved around him.   But give credit where it is due. He is perhaps the best players in the game and once in a while will have an off day or two.

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

Manager Jerry Manuel has been regulated to saying the same thing in his post game press conferences. “We will get better,” he said the past week as his team was the recipient of four shutouts since the beginning of the month. But on Saturday, Manuel was brief and had no time to offer his usual laugh after a comment that has become customary.

His team scored some runs. Santana was effective again, newcomer Jeff Francoeur contributed, and the contributions of Angel Pagan and catcher Omir Santos made it a win the Mets needed. Pagan went 2-for-3 with a double and had two stolen bases in his second game back since returning from the 15-day disabled list.

“Things really worked out for us early,” said Manuel who saw his Mets bang out 11 hits, though once again going without a home run. The Mets have not hit a long ball since that July 2^nd makeup game last week at Pittsburgh. “Pagan kind of set the table for us,” he said and the two bags swiped by Pagan were the first for the Mets in seven games.

And with that, Manuel got up and smiled.  He did not have much more to say as Santana (10-7) allowed five hits, struck out five and walked one in seven innings. The native of Venezuela and recipient of pitcher of the year by the Latino sports writers and broadcast Association, with his 119^th career victory moved past Freddy Garcia for most wins by a Major League pitcher from Venezuela.

“I am proud of being the pitcher with the most wins,” he said about the accomplishment. “I think the most important thing is we got the win.”  Johnny Cueto (8-6) has his second bad start for the Reds as Pagan and Santos got the Mets started.

Pagan is also adding some good defensive play in center field, and when Carlos Beltran on the disabled list with a bruised knee returns, he and Pagan, with the addition of Francoeur in right can give the Mets a formidable outfield in the second half. Francoeur got a warm greeting from the Citi Field crowd and drove in two of the three Mets runs in the first inning.

And that hit for Francoeur, acquired for Ryan Church the night before, hopefully will set the tome for more games like the Mets had Saturday evening. “To be able to dump that one in the first inning,” felt good said Francoeur who became an immediate favorite with his teammates in the Mets clubhouse.

“They showed me around,” he said. “I’m not going to lie to you. That first at bat with a new team, I was nervous. The fans were great and it doesn’t matter where you play as long as you have a uniform and a number.”

Francouer a career .266 hitter and with a good arm in the outfield may be one of the first moves that Mets GM Omar Minaya made before the July 31 trading deadline. Though reports over the weekend continue to get stronger that Beltran will return soon after the upcoming all-star break, and Carlos Delgado is making a quicker than expected recovery from his hip surgery.

So the Mets could be at full strength again soon, and perhaps with one game remaining Sunday before the break, this first half season of misery will just a memory.