CHICAGO – Glendon Rusch filled in just fine as a spot starter for the Chicago Cubs, who scored four times in the first inning of a 7-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

In his second start for injured ace Kerry Wood, Rusch (2-0) allowed six hits and struck out nine in 7 2-3 strong innings.

He got a big boost from the Cubs’ early offense, including a two-run double by Derrek Lee on a first-inning fly ball that landed in the center-field ivy. Todd Hollandsworth hit a two-run homer in the third to put the Cubs ahead 6-1.

Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins finished the six-hitter.

Chicago jumped on Woody Williams (1-5) right away.

Todd Walker, Moises Alou and Aramis Ramirez singled for the first run. After a walk to Hollandsworth loaded the bases, Lee’s long fly to center went over Jim Edmonds’ head and stuck in the ivy for a ground-rule double. Corey Patterson hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

The Cardinals got a run back in the third when Patterson and Hollandsworth collided in shallow center while chasing Edgar Renteria’s fly-ball double.

Hollandsworth hit his fifth homer following Ramirez’s single in the bottom of the inning.

Williams unraveled in the sixth, committing two errors. His wild pickoff attempt to first allowed Patterson to reach second, then the right-hander threw wildly past first after fielding Ramon Martinez’s bunt, allowing Patterson to score.

Williams gave up seven runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.

Notes: Williams is 2-6 against the Cubs in his career, including 1-5 at Wrigley Field. … Rusch went 1-12 for the Brewers last season and began 2004 in the minors. … Todd Walker, the toughest player in the AL to strike out last season when he fanned just 54 times in 647 plate appearances for the Red Sox, whiffed three times. … The Cubs put Kent Mercker on the disabled list with a sore back and activated left-hander Mike Remlinger, who’d been out all season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Mercker is the eighth Cubs player to go on the DL since spring training and the third this week, joining Wood and Sammy Sosa.

AP-ES-05-22-04 1546EDT