JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -Albert Pujols, who returned to action after taking a week to rest a sore back, hit two hard singles in the St. Louis Cardinals' 8-5 victory against the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Pujols said his back did not bother him when he swung and it did not get tight.

``That's the two things I was looking at and I didn't feel any of that,' he said.

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Pujols lined the first pitch he saw into deep center. The ball was hit so hard he was held to a single. His second single was a hard line drive to left field.

``Five days off, two swings like that,' manager Tony La Russa said. ``You can't do that unless you're a great player.'

After playing in just two games and going hitless in five at bats, Pujols awoke last Sunday with a sore back that he said felt like a spasm. Since, he has been undergoing treatment, including chiropractic adjustments.

``It was a little rough missing five days without being able to do any running,' Pujols said.

The NL MVP was encouraged by his first two hits, which came on a pitch down and away and an inside slider, and a high fastball that he fouled back before walking in his third at bat.

``If anything were going to happen it would have happened on that pitch, a fastball up,' he said.

Julio Lugo drove in three runs with a double and a home run for the Cardinals and Ryan Ludwick hit a solo home run.

Astros starter Felipe Paulino pitched two scoreless innings before Wesley Wright allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits in 1 1-3 innings.

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter threw 58 pitches over three innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk, including Chris Shelton's two-run homer to deep centerfield in the second inning.

``I felt like my command was better. I felt like my breaking ball was better,' Carpenter said. ``I got my pitch count up and I felt more comfortable with my delivery on the mound.'

The high pitch count was partly due to a strong wind that made it an adventure for the fielders. Several balls were wind blown into hits during the game.

``It definitely makes it difficult but you deal with it,' Carpenter said.