St. Louis @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( May 4, 2010 ) St. Louis 1, Philadelphia 2
David Freese is certainly making a name for himself.
The St. Louis Cardinals rookie third baseman earned National League Player of the Week honors on Monday.
So, how did Freese celebrate?
Well, the 27-year-old belted a three-run double to highlight a five-run seventh inning to power the Cardinals to a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a four-game set.
On Tuesday, Freese continued his momentum - going 2-for-5 and scoring the team's lone run in a 2-1 loss in 10 innings to Philadelphia (15-11). In doing so, he extended his hitting streak to eight games - a nice, tidy 16-for-32 during that span. Freese also has three home runs and 14 RBIs during that stretch.
That's quite the growing resume for Freese, who has played in all of 42 career games dating back to the 2009 season.
Freese will look to keep the party going on Wednesday as the National League-leading Cardinals (18-9) face Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 7.61 ERA) and the Phillies.
The 25-year-old right-hander has struggled this season, allowing at least four runs in four of his five outings. However, Kendrick has excelled in three career starts against St. Louis - amassing a 3-0 mark with a 2.25 ERA.
The Cardinals will counter with Brad Penny (3-1, 1.56 ERA). The 31-year-old right-hander allowed three runs and eight hits in his last outing - a 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. He struggled with control in this contest by walking five.
Despite the reputation of being a hitter's ballpark, Citizens Bank Park has been friendly toward Penny. The Oklahoma native has posted a 2-0 mark with a 1.25 ERA in the City of Brotherly Love.
Overall, Penny has proven his worth against the Phillies, recording a 4-0 mark with a 2.13 ERA in his last five starts against them.
Penny will be looking to deliver the rotation's 13th straight quality start on Tuesday. The Cardinals starting rotation has gone 21 games without allowing a home run - a streak which spans 143 2/3 innings.
Speaking of streaks, three-time National League Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols extended his hitting streak to nine games with a double on Tuesday.
In addition, Philadelphia slugger Jayson Werth has reached base in all 26 of the team's contests this season.