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Cardinals-Phillies Preview

May 4, 2010 - 4:07 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

St. Louis (17-8) at Philadelphia (14-10), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals are getting quality starts from the top of their sterling rotation to the bottom, so it's no wonder Tony La Russa's club feels confident regardless of which pitcher takes the hill.

It's been a long time since they've expected anything less than excellence from Adam Wainwright.

Wainwright has delivered a quality outing in 23 of his last 24 starts, and he'll look to help the NL-best Cardinals continue their dominance on the mound as they seek a fourth straight win in Tuesday night's visit to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wainwright (4-1, 2.13 ERA) finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting last season behind teammate Chris Carpenter, but that 1-2 punch isn't the only reason St. Louis (18-8) has the league's best record.

Jaime Garcia lowered the Cardinals' starting ERA to 2.52 on Monday night in Philadelphia, and also extended an impressive streak. By allowing one run over six innings in a 6-3 win over the Phillies (14-11), Garcia became the 12th straight St. Louis starter to go at least six while allowing three or fewer earned runs.

"There have only been a handful of games where I felt like we didn't have a shot at it," La Russa said of his rotation's consistency.

A quality start from Wainwright has basically become an afterthought. He's lasted six innings and yielded three runs or fewer in 23 of those 24 starts, going 15-5 with a 1.98 ERA.

His ERA was just slightly above that in five April starts, which he concluded by allowing three runs in six innings Thursday in a 10-4 win over Atlanta.

"You get to know your stuff early in the game, and you just go with what you've got," Wainwright told the Cardinals' official website.

Despite the wind at Busch Stadium blowing out, Wainwright extended his streak without allowing a homer to 32 2-3 innings. Combined with the rest of the staff, St. Louis is working on an even more impressive streak. No Cardinals starter has allowed a home run in 20 games, spanning 134 2-3 innings.

The last team with a longer single-season streak was the 1981 Houston Astros, whose starters didn't allow a homer for 21 games from May 11-June 3.

Though Wainwright is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA against the Phillies, his recent outing didn't go so well. He gave up seven runs and nine hits over six innings - including homers to Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino - in a 10-7 loss May 5, 2009.

Werth and Chase Utley hit solo shots after Garcia left Monday's opener, but those weren't enough to help Philadelphia avoid a ninth loss in 15 games.

Cole Hamels (2-2, 5.28) looks to get the Phillies back on track Tuesday, but after going 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his first three starts, the 2008 World Series MVP is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in his last two outings.

Hamels gave up four runs and nine hits, walking four and striking out 10, over six innings Wednesday as Philadelphia beat San Francisco 7-6 in 11 innings.

The left-hander is 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA in six career starts against the Cardinals, whom he hasn't faced since Aug. 1, 2008.

While Albert Pujols is just 3 for 13 (.231) with a homer against Hamels, Ryan Ludwick is 4 for 8 with a pair of home runs.

Phillies closer Ryan Madson will have surgery Tuesday to repair a right toe he broke when he kicked a chair in frustration after blowing a save Wednesday. Jose Contreras is expected to step into the role.