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Giants-Cardinals Preview

Jul 2, 2009 - 6:26 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

San Francisco (42-35) at St. Louis (42-38), 7:15 p.m. EDT

Nearly every team in the major leagues has found it difficult to get Albert Pujols out this season, but it's safe to say the San Francisco Giants have had a harder time than most.

The Giants will look to shut down Pujols and make it three of four at Busch Stadium on Thursday when they wrap up their regular-season series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols leads the majors with 30 homers and 77 RBIs, and is third in the NL with a .337 average, making him a threat to become baseball's first Triple Crown winner since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

Facing San Francisco (42-35) has helped pad those statistics. After watching him homer twice in the Giants' 6-3 win Tuesday, manager Bruce Bochy chose to intentionally walk the two-time NL MVP in his first two at-bats Wednesday.

Pujols later had two hits to raise his average this season against San Francisco to .632 (12 for 19) with four homers - his highest totals in both categories. He was in the on-deck circle in the 10th inning when Colby Rasmus hit a solo drive after a dropped pop-up that lifted St. Louis (42-38) to a 2-1 win.

"I wasn't thinking about Albert coming up or the missed pop-up or anything," said Rasmus, who became the first Cardinals rookie to hit a game-winning homer since Andy Van Slyke on Aug. 18, 1983. "I was just trying to get a good pitch and try to do some damage with it."

The Giants, though, may need to turn their attention back to Pujols if they hope to win their third consecutive series in St. Louis. Pujols is 5 for 9 (.556) with two homers and eight RBIs lifetime against Barry Zito (4-7, 4.55 ERA).

"Him, Manny (Ramirez) and A-Rod are the three best guys in the game right now, offensively," Zito told the Giants' official Web site after giving up a homer to Pujols in a 6-2 loss on May 30. "It's always fun going up against these guys and seeing what your skills can do against their skills."

Zito is 0-3 with a 4.86 ERA against the Cardinals in three outings since signing with the Giants in 2007.

The left-hander went 3-1 in June but had a 5.81 ERA. He gave up three runs and three hits in 5 2-3 innings Saturday in Milwaukee, but didn't factor in the Brewers' 7-6 win.

The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner would like to see his lineup give him more help than he's typically received. Zito has been given 2.93 runs of support per game, the fewest of any starter in the majors.

No one has had much trouble hitting Todd Wellemeyer (6-7, 5.68) lately, however. The right-hander is 1-2 with a 7.18 ERA over his last five starts, and opponents are hitting .349 against him.

Wellemeyer left after allowing three runs and four hits and four walks in just 2 1-3 innings Saturday against Minnesota. Though St. Louis rallied for a 5-3 win, Wellemeyer was frustrated.

"I just need to quit walking guys and get ahead in the counts and let them put it in play," he told the Cardinals' official Web site. "... It's all on me. I just need to be more aggressive in the zone."

Wellemeyer is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts against San Francisco.