ST. LOUIS » The San Francisco Giants’ top RBI man finally acted like him again.

Aubrey Huff hit three home runs and matched his career best with six RBIs, and the San Francisco Giants hammered a pair of rookie pitchers making their major league debut in a 12-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

"It’s a tremendous day," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It’s a day he’ll never forget and a big day for us."

Huff, who entered batting .219, hit two-run homers in the fourth and ninth innings and a solo shot in the seventh for his first three-homer game. He also had an RBI single in the sixth. Huff raised his average 14 points while leading the surge for the Giants, who set a season high for runs.

"When Huffie gets going, he can carry the team. He did it last year," said Freddy Sanchez, who had a homer and four RBIs. "He’s getting that confidence back and his swing is back.

"I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he’s getting it going and we’re getting going."

Huff has four homers and seven RBIs the past two games after totaling four RBIs the previous 16 games.

Colby Rasmus hit his second career grand slam and had a career-best six RBIs to help make it a contest for the Cardinals, who dropped three of four at home to the Giants for the first time since June 30-July 3, 2003. Albert Pujols had two hits, a steal and scored twice.

"He’s got a ton of talent," manager Tony La Russa said of Rasmus. "The more at-bats, the more consistent he’ll be."

But Rasmus misplayed a leadoff double by pitcher Jonathan Sanchez to open the Giants’ three-run sixth, drifting to his right on a ball in the gap that bounced off the warning track and into the stands.

"I kind of gave up on it there a little bit," Rasmus said. "I ain’t going to blame it on anything, I just missed the play."

The Cardinals had been 13-1-1 in their previous 15 series since dropping two of three at San Francisco from April 8-10, leaving town with a 3-6 record.

Triple-A callup Lance Lynn (0-1) needed 56 pitches to get through five innings while working on three days’ rest, but retired only one of four hitters to start the Giants’ sixth. Double-A reinforcement Mikail Cleto hit 98 mph several times on the stadium radar gun in the seventh but walked the first two hitters and surrendered back-to-back homers to Freddy Sanchez and Huff in a five-run inning that made it 10-3.

"There wasn’t anything in Lynn’s stuff to say he was pitching on short rest," La Russa said. "I mean, the situation was difficult. It would be difficult for anybody who would have pitched in the big leagues."