Houston @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 2, 2010 ) Houston 9, St. Louis 4
If the St. Louis Cardinals fail to make the playoffs this season, they will know where to point a finger – directly at the Houston Astros.
The Cardinals lost their hold on first place in the NL Central following Monday’s 9-4 loss to the Astros in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.
Houston pushed across seven runs in the final two innings to snap St. Louis’ three-game winning streak and drop the Cardinals one-half game behind the Cincinnati Reds in the division.
It was the sixth consecutive victory for the Astros, who have evolved from pesky nuisance to major hindrance to the Cardinals.
Houston has won six of 10 meetings between the clubs this season and is 5-2 at Busch Stadium, including four straight victories.
Second baseman Jeff Keppinger sparked the late offensive eruption on Monday, delivering a game-tying single in the eighth inning and adding a two-run single in a four-run ninth.
Keppinger went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, raising his season average against St. Louis to .433 (13-for-30). It was the fifth multi-hit game in the last 10 contests for Keppinger.
Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee and Chris Johnson added two hits apiece for the suddenly potent Houston lineup, which has outscored its opponents, 39-8, during the six-game streak.
Johnson has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games, getting multiple hits in eight of them and boosting his average to a lofty .343.
Much like his team, Astros left-hander Bud Norris (3-7) has enjoyed inordinate success against the Cardinals. He has a 1.60 ERA in five starts against St. Louis and has registered four of his 10 career victories against the Cardinals.
The lone exception came in the last meeting on July 9, when St. Louis battered Norris for five runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings en route to an 8-0 rout.
Norris will be opposed by rookie left-hander Jaime Garcia (9-4), who is fourth in the National League with a sterling 2.33 ERA.
Garcia has allowed more than three earned runs just once this season and looks to have recovered from a pair of wobbly outings that sandwiched the All-Star break.
The 24-year-old southpaw got a no-decision last time out, giving up three runs on six hits in six innings against the New York Mets. That followed an outing in which he limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one run on four hits in seven innings.
Prior to the bullpen’s meltdown Monday night, the Cardinals had two positives to hang their hats on. Albert Pujols homered for the third straight game and Jake Westbrook went six strong innings in his debut with the team following his acquisition in a trade with the Cleveland Indians.