Clement’s winning streak to start the season was the best by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez and John Burkett each began 2002 with 7-0 records, and entering the game he had allowed only three homers in 76 2-3 innings. He lasted only four innings, his shortest stint of the year, and the seven runs allowed on seven hits matched his season worst.

The loss was Clement’s first in 13 starts since last Sept. 20 at Florida, denying him a chance to match the Cardinals’ Matt Morris as the only 7-0 pitchers in the major leagues. The Red Sox had won his seven previous starts — Clement went 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA in that span.

Clement bemoaned mishandling the bottom of the order in the second, walking eighth-place hitter Yadier Molina and then giving up a single to Suppan.

“The one thing you hate to do is make it easy for the other pitcher because you know our team offensively is going to do the job,” Clement said. “Unfortunately, I gave their pitcher a lot of wiggle room.”

Suppan (5-5) allowed two runs on six hits in six innings to beat the Red Sox, whom he played for from 1995-97, for the first time since Aug. 25, 2000. The Cardinals handed him a 6-1 lead to work with after two innings and helped him even his record for the fourth time this season.

Edmonds’ 11th homer, a two-run shot with two outs in the first, made it 2-0. After Varitek homered in the second, the Cardinals answered with four in the bottom half on RBI singles by David Eckstein and Grudzielanek and Pujols’ two-run double for a 6-1 lead.

Sanders added his 12th homer leading off the third, and Bellhorn’s RBI double came in the fifth. Abraham Nunez added a two-run single off Alan Embree in the seventh.

Notes: Manny Ramirez has been stuck on 11 home runs for 57 at-bats. He hasn’t homered since May 22. He made the recovery of the game when he slipped and fell while tracking Nunez’s flyball in the third but still had time to get up and make the catch. ... Cardinals reliever Reyes turned Bill Mueller’s liner up the middle into the Cardinals’ third double play of the game when he snared it and threw to first to double Varitek off first. ... Edgar Renteria had another unproductive day in his return to St. Louis, going 1-for-4 with his third and fourth double-play balls in eight at-bats in the series.

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