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Clinching the National League Central at home would have been nice, but the Cardinals have a chance to do the next best thing on Thursday: lock it up at Wrigley Field. They'll try to secure a second straight division championship at the home of their biggest rivals.
The Cards' final regular-season road trip gets started with a four-game set at Wrigley, and amazingly it's only their second trip to the venerable ballpark this year. Chicago is about the only team that has consistently beaten St. Louis in 2005, so there's no guarantee of a cakewalk of a coronation weekend.
Jeff Suppan takes the ball for the visitors in the evening opener. Suppan, who paced the Cardinals staff with 16 wins in 2004, will be aiming for his 15th win of the '05 season. He's closing in on the .500 mark for his career at 92-94. Suppan has seen a few ups and downs, but for the most part he's pitched quite well in the second half, going 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA since the All-Star break. Over his last seven starts, he's 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA.
Mark Prior pitches for the Cubbies, and that's never an easy assignment for an offense. Prior has permitted three or fewer runs in seven straight starts, and he hasn't served up a homer in two September outings. He's been much more effective at home than on the road in 2005.
Pitching matchup
STL: RHP Jeff Suppan
• 14-10, 3.69 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 1.96 ERA vs. CHC in 2005
CHC: RHP Mark Prior
• 11-5, 3.64 ERA in 2005
• 1-0, 4.00 ERA vs. STL in 2005
Player to watch
There are few batter-pitcher confrontations more entertaining than Albert Pujols vs. Prior. It's power and smarts against power and smarts, and Pujols thus far has held his own. He's 7-for-20 (.350) against Prior with three home runs and five walks.
Quotable
"That mental aspect that we have with this club is what helps you survive during the months of June, July and August. That's the game right there. if you can mentally stay sharp through those tough times, you've got a good chance to win." -- David Eckstein
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes
On television
• STL: FSN Midwest
• CHC: WGN
On radio
• STL: KMOX 1120
• CHC: WGN 720
Quick hits
The Cardinals are 4-8 against the Cubs. The only other teams against which St. Louis has a losing record are San Diego (3-4), Toronto (1-2) and Philadelphia (2-4). ... The Cardinals have lost three series since late June, all of them to the Cubs. ... Suppan has allowed only three homers over his last six starts. ... Suppan had one extra-base hit before this year, but he has three in 2005. ... Suppan was 62-75 before joining the Cardinals. He's 30-19 in a St. Louis uniform. ... Pujols has five homers in 44 at-bats against the Cubs this year. ... Chris Carpenter is 2-0 against the Cubs in 2005; the other four Cardinals starters are 0-7.
On deck
• Friday: at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. CT
• Saturday: at Cubs, 12:20 p.m. CT
• Sunday: at Cubs, 1:20 p.m. CT
The Cards' final regular-season road trip gets started with a four-game set at Wrigley, and amazingly it's only their second trip to the venerable ballpark this year. Chicago is about the only team that has consistently beaten St. Louis in 2005, so there's no guarantee of a cakewalk of a coronation weekend.
Jeff Suppan takes the ball for the visitors in the evening opener. Suppan, who paced the Cardinals staff with 16 wins in 2004, will be aiming for his 15th win of the '05 season. He's closing in on the .500 mark for his career at 92-94. Suppan has seen a few ups and downs, but for the most part he's pitched quite well in the second half, going 5-3 with a 2.85 ERA since the All-Star break. Over his last seven starts, he's 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA.
Mark Prior pitches for the Cubbies, and that's never an easy assignment for an offense. Prior has permitted three or fewer runs in seven straight starts, and he hasn't served up a homer in two September outings. He's been much more effective at home than on the road in 2005.
Pitching matchup
STL: RHP Jeff Suppan
• 14-10, 3.69 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 1.96 ERA vs. CHC in 2005
CHC: RHP Mark Prior
• 11-5, 3.64 ERA in 2005
• 1-0, 4.00 ERA vs. STL in 2005
Player to watch
There are few batter-pitcher confrontations more entertaining than Albert Pujols vs. Prior. It's power and smarts against power and smarts, and Pujols thus far has held his own. He's 7-for-20 (.350) against Prior with three home runs and five walks.
Quotable
"That mental aspect that we have with this club is what helps you survive during the months of June, July and August. That's the game right there. if you can mentally stay sharp through those tough times, you've got a good chance to win." -- David Eckstein
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes
On television
• STL: FSN Midwest
• CHC: WGN
On radio
• STL: KMOX 1120
• CHC: WGN 720
Quick hits
The Cardinals are 4-8 against the Cubs. The only other teams against which St. Louis has a losing record are San Diego (3-4), Toronto (1-2) and Philadelphia (2-4). ... The Cardinals have lost three series since late June, all of them to the Cubs. ... Suppan has allowed only three homers over his last six starts. ... Suppan had one extra-base hit before this year, but he has three in 2005. ... Suppan was 62-75 before joining the Cardinals. He's 30-19 in a St. Louis uniform. ... Pujols has five homers in 44 at-bats against the Cubs this year. ... Chris Carpenter is 2-0 against the Cubs in 2005; the other four Cardinals starters are 0-7.
On deck
• Friday: at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. CT
• Saturday: at Cubs, 12:20 p.m. CT
• Sunday: at Cubs, 1:20 p.m. CT
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