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Cubs-Cardinals Preview

Sep 13, 2010 - 5:30 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Chicago (62-80) at St. Louis (73-67), 8:15 p.m. EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals were alone in first place when they faced the Chicago Cubs last month.

After a series loss, Tony La Russa's club has struggled to regroup.

Still on the fringe of the playoff race, the Cardinals will try to avoid another loss to their most-hated division rival when they host the Cubs on Monday night in the opener of a three-game set.

St. Louis (74-67) took a one-game lead over Cincinnati after kicking off a series against Chicago (62-81) with a 6-3 victory on Aug. 13. However, the Cardinals lost the next two games and haven't recovered.

They are six games behind the Reds after a 7-3 win over Atlanta on Sunday, the Cardinals' ninth in 27 games since beating Chicago in August.

Albert Pujols homered twice, giving him a NL-leading 39 to go with 104 RBIs. He has four home runs in the last five games, and is hitting .333 despite a sore left elbow.

"There is no DL in September," the reigning two-time MVP said. "You have to keep pushing and try to put us in a good spot."

Pujols will try to stay hot against a team he just loves to face. The first baseman is batting .344 with six home runs and 10 RBIs against the Cubs this season, and was 6 for 12 with two homers in last month's series at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals, who are 4-5 against the Cubs this year, will look to Jaime Garcia (13-7, 2.69 ERA) to bounce back from the worst start of his brief career.

Garcia gave up a career-high seven runs in four innings of an 8-1 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday. The left-hander had an 0.67 ERA over his previous four starts with wins in the previous three.

Garcia, who is 6-3 with a 1.65 ERA at home, will make his first start against the Cubs. He pitched an inning of relief against them in 2008.

He'll try to slow Chicago, which is 11-7 since Aug. 23. The Cubs were in position to complete a weekend sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, but managed five hits in a 2-0 loss Sunday.

Rookie Casey Coleman allowed a run and five hits with three walks in six innings.

The Cubs will next hand the ball to Jeff Samardzija (0-1, 18.90), who will make his first start of 2010 in place of Carlos Silva (elbow strain).

The former Notre Dame football player is making his first appearance since April 19 when he faced three batters without recording an out, and was tagged for three runs - one earned - in a 6-1 loss to the Mets in New York.

"They use the term, 'You get hungry,' or whatever, whatever you want to say," he told the Cubs' official website. "When you spend the whole year down there in Triple-A, this is definitely something you look forward to and get excited about, for sure."

Samardzija is 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA in two career starts. The right-hander, though, has pitched 6 1-3 scoreless innings of relief over five games against St. Louis.