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Cardinals-Mets Preview

Jul 29, 2010 - 6:05 AM By SAMANTHA PANITCH STATS Writer

St. Louis (56-45) at New York (51-50), 12:10 p.m. EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals have a good chance to pad their lead atop the NL Central on their upcoming homestand. That is, if they head home atop the division.

That's where they will stand Thursday if they avoid losing consecutive series for the first time since early June as they visit the New York Mets.

St. Louis (56-45) is a percentage point ahead of Cincinnati for first place, and the Reds are idle Thursday. The Cardinals follow this game at New York with a pair of three-game sets against the Central's worst teams - Pittsburgh and Houston.

Albert Pujols kept St. Louis in a virtual tie atop the division on Wednesday night, driving in the go-ahead run in the 13th inning in an 8-7 victory over the Mets (51-50).

Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs for the Cardinals, who scored six runs off ace Johan Santana in the first inning only to watch their bullpen blow the lead and allow the Mets to score four in the eighth to tie the game.

"More like working ball than playing ball," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "They have a lot of grit. We have a lot of admiration for the Mets."

La Russa's club has split the first two games with New York after losing two of three in Chicago. The Cardinals haven't dropped back-to-back series since losing five of six to the Dodgers and Arizona from June 7-13.

Holliday is riding a season-best 13-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .333 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

He singled in his only one career at-bat against R.A. Dickey (6-4, 2.55 ERA), who will take his regular turn in the Mets rotation despite leaving his last start early.

The knuckleballer fell down making a pitch after giving up two hits in 5 2-3 scoreless innings in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday.

"I landed awkwardly, and it just kind of thrusted all my body weight over to my landing leg in a way that was awkward," said Dickey, who now makes his first start against St. Louis.

After going 6-0 through his first seven starts of the year, Dickey is 0-5 in his last six - all Mets losses as he's received just nine runs of support. He has a 1.89 ERA in his past four outings.

New York, though, has totaled 15 runs and 22 hits - four homers - in the last two games. The Mets are 3-10 since the All-Star break and haven't won a series since taking two of three against Minnesota from June 25-27.

They may have to try to do it without left fielder Jason Bay, diagnosed with a concussion Tuesday. He's missed the last two games and will be re-evaluated no earlier than Thursday.

"I'm sure if there's no progress at that time, then we'll make the decision to put him on the disabled list," manager Jerry Manuel told the team's official website.

Blake Hawksworth (4-6, 5.23) will start for St. Louis.

He was roughed up for six runs in 4 1-3 innings in a 6-5 loss to the Cubs on Saturday. The right-hander had been 3-1 with a 3.95 ERA in his previous five starts after becoming a regular member of the rotation.

Hawksworth has allowed one unearned run over 6 2-3 innings in four games against the Mets - all in relief.