Tweet
Chicago (17-11) at St. Louis (18-11)
Preview | Box Score | Recap
By JEFF MEZYDLO, STATS Senior Writer 6 hours, 50 minutes ago
A record-setting April has the St. Louis Cardinals entering May as the surprise leaders in the NL Central, just ahead of their biggest foe.
The Cardinals look to remain atop the division standings while trying to win a third straight game as they host the rival Chicago Cubs in the opener of a three-game set Friday night.
St. Louis (18-11) won 5-2 on Wednesday to post a franchise record for victories in April. With Chicago falling 4-3 to Milwaukee on Thursday, the Cardinals enter Friday’s contest with a one-half game lead over the Cubs (17-11), who have dropped five of their last seven since winning six in a row.
“We’ve got our great rivalry,” manager Tony La Russa told the Cardinals’ official Web site. “So that’s exciting.”
Coming off a 78-84 season in 2007, with Albert Pujols its only true All-Star and a starting pitching staff made up of three former relievers, the Cardinals were not expected to challenge for the division lead, but have exceeded expectations early thanks to a .279 team batting average and a 3.41 staff ERA .
Series at a Glance
“With the history of this franchise, for the ‘08 club to have some kind of mark you don’t disregard it,” La Russa said.
In order to continue the success, the Cardinals must find a way to get the best of their longtime rivals.
Over the last three years, St. Louis has gone 19-32 and lost all three season series with the Cubs. In 2007, St. Louis went 5-11 versus Chicago, including a 2-7 mark at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis won for the fourth time in five games Wednesday after Rick Ankiel went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. Ankiel is 10-for-22 with a homer and five RBIs through six contests on the Cardinals’ current nine-game homestand.
“I feel like I’ve seen great pitches lately,” said Ankiel, who was in a 3-for-23 slump before the homestand. “Maybe when you’re not going good, you might go out of the zone. That’s just the way I feel right now.”
Pujols, batting .365 on the season, is a career .288 hitter versus Chicago, his second-lowest average against an NL team behind Florida (.285).
On Friday, St. Louis hands the ball to Adam Wainwright (3-1, 2.79 ERA), who is coming off the second complete game of his career after allowing five hits in a 4-3 home win over Houston on Saturday.
All four of the right-hander’s career starts against the Cubs came in 2007, when he went 0-3 with an 8.72 ERA.
Chicago counters with Rich Hill (1-0, 3.79 ERA), who hasn’t pitched since allowing two runs and three hits in five innings of a 7-6, 10-inning victory at Colorado on April 23. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts versus St. Louis.
On Thursday, Cubs closer Kerry Wood gave up three runs in the top of the ninth for his third blown save in his last four chances as the Cubs dropped their second consecutive series.
“You got a two run lead going into the ninth, it’s a tough loss,” said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team’s bullpen has allowed 13 earned runs in 16 innings over its last seven contests.
Kosuke Fukudome went 4-for-4 and Ryan Theriot 3-for-4 for Chicago, which scored just three runs after a 19-5 rout of Milwaukee on Wednesday. Theriot, who went 6-for-14 in the series with Milwaukee, is 6-for-13 with a double against Wainwright.
Alfonso Soriano looks to bounce back after going 0-for-4 on Thursday in his first game since coming off the disabled list with a calf injury. Soriano, who is batting .164, went 10-for-38 with two homers and four doubles on the road against the Cardinals in 2007
Team Comparison
Preview | Box Score | Recap
Currently: Saint Louis, MO
Temp: 69° F- Game info: 8:15 pm EDT Fri May 2, 2008
- TV: WGN, FSMW
- Add to Calendar | Buy Tickets
By JEFF MEZYDLO, STATS Senior Writer 6 hours, 50 minutes ago
A record-setting April has the St. Louis Cardinals entering May as the surprise leaders in the NL Central, just ahead of their biggest foe.
The Cardinals look to remain atop the division standings while trying to win a third straight game as they host the rival Chicago Cubs in the opener of a three-game set Friday night.
St. Louis (18-11) won 5-2 on Wednesday to post a franchise record for victories in April. With Chicago falling 4-3 to Milwaukee on Thursday, the Cardinals enter Friday’s contest with a one-half game lead over the Cubs (17-11), who have dropped five of their last seven since winning six in a row.
“We’ve got our great rivalry,” manager Tony La Russa told the Cardinals’ official Web site. “So that’s exciting.”
Coming off a 78-84 season in 2007, with Albert Pujols its only true All-Star and a starting pitching staff made up of three former relievers, the Cardinals were not expected to challenge for the division lead, but have exceeded expectations early thanks to a .279 team batting average and a 3.41 staff ERA .
Series at a Glance
- Chi Cubs at
St. Louis
Fri, May 2 - 8:15 pm ET - Chi Cubs at
St. Louis
Sat, May 3 - 3:45 pm ET - Chi Cubs at
St. Louis
Sun, May 4 - 8:05 pm ET
“With the history of this franchise, for the ‘08 club to have some kind of mark you don’t disregard it,” La Russa said.
In order to continue the success, the Cardinals must find a way to get the best of their longtime rivals.
Over the last three years, St. Louis has gone 19-32 and lost all three season series with the Cubs. In 2007, St. Louis went 5-11 versus Chicago, including a 2-7 mark at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis won for the fourth time in five games Wednesday after Rick Ankiel went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. Ankiel is 10-for-22 with a homer and five RBIs through six contests on the Cardinals’ current nine-game homestand.
“I feel like I’ve seen great pitches lately,” said Ankiel, who was in a 3-for-23 slump before the homestand. “Maybe when you’re not going good, you might go out of the zone. That’s just the way I feel right now.”
Pujols, batting .365 on the season, is a career .288 hitter versus Chicago, his second-lowest average against an NL team behind Florida (.285).
On Friday, St. Louis hands the ball to Adam Wainwright (3-1, 2.79 ERA), who is coming off the second complete game of his career after allowing five hits in a 4-3 home win over Houston on Saturday.
All four of the right-hander’s career starts against the Cubs came in 2007, when he went 0-3 with an 8.72 ERA.
Chicago counters with Rich Hill (1-0, 3.79 ERA), who hasn’t pitched since allowing two runs and three hits in five innings of a 7-6, 10-inning victory at Colorado on April 23. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts versus St. Louis.
On Thursday, Cubs closer Kerry Wood gave up three runs in the top of the ninth for his third blown save in his last four chances as the Cubs dropped their second consecutive series.
“You got a two run lead going into the ninth, it’s a tough loss,” said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team’s bullpen has allowed 13 earned runs in 16 innings over its last seven contests.
Kosuke Fukudome went 4-for-4 and Ryan Theriot 3-for-4 for Chicago, which scored just three runs after a 19-5 rout of Milwaukee on Wednesday. Theriot, who went 6-for-14 in the series with Milwaukee, is 6-for-13 with a double against Wainwright.
Alfonso Soriano looks to bounce back after going 0-for-4 on Thursday in his first game since coming off the disabled list with a calf injury. Soriano, who is batting .164, went 10-for-38 with two homers and four doubles on the road against the Cardinals in 2007
Team Comparison
| Team | Record | Standings | Away/Home | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 17-11 | 2nd Central | Away 6-5 | Lost 1 | 5-5 |
| St. Louis | 18-11 | 1st Central | Home 12-6 | Won 2 | 6- |
Comment