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Cardinals look for fourth striaght win

Jun 7, 2007 - 3:42 PM Cincinnati (22-38) at St. Louis (26-30) 8:10 pm EDT

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- What is well known is that Albert Pujols is a great hitter. What is not as well known is how much he likes facing the Cincinnati Reds.

The St. Louis Cardinals go for the home series sweep of the Reds on Thursday at Busch Stadium.

Pujols, a lifetime .330 hitter with 262 homers, has particularly enjoys seeing the Cincinnati pitching staff over the years as he has batted .368 with 28 home runs and 88 RBI against the Reds, the second-best numbers he has posted in each category against an opponent over his career. The numbers include the two-run blast he hit in Wednesday's contest.

Adam Wainwright (4-4, 5.12 ERA), who has allowed two runs or less in each of his last three outings, will try to help the Cardinals win their fourth straight contest. He has surrendered just one homer in his last seven outings, including Friday's 4-1 win over Houston where he yielded just one run and four hits over seven innings.

The righthander has yet to record a decision in five career relief appearances against Cincinnati, but has posted a 2.70 ERA. This will be his first-ever start against the Reds.

Kyle Lohse (2-7, 4.58), who is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals, will be looking to help the Reds avoid a five-game skid. He is just 1-7 in his last eight starts.

In Saturday's 4-1 loss to Colorado, the righthander yielded three runs and five hits over six frames.