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Cardinals continue series with Marlins

May 3, 2011 - 3:08 PM (Sports Network) - Career reliever Kyle McClellan can be the starting stopper for the St. Louis Cardinals tonight when they continue a four-game series with game two against the visiting Florida Marlins at Busch Stadium.

The Marlins won Monday's opener, 6-5, on Greg Dobbs' eighth-inning sacrifice fly.

The loss was the second straight for the Cardinals, who saw their lead in the National League's Central Division trimmed to 1 1/2 games over Cincinnati, which was rained out against Houston.

Florida moved into a first-place tie in the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies, who has a scheduled off day.

Gaby Sanchez belted his first career grand slam for the Marlins, who have won three of their last four. Mike Stanton added a solo home run.

Edward Mujica (3-1) earned the win after throwing two scoreless frames in relief.

Lance Berkman went 2-for-3 with four RBI, including a three-run homer, for St. Louis. Berkman is batting .406 on the season.

McClellan, a 26-year-old Missouri native, had seven career big-league wins in 202 consecutive relief outings coming into this season since reaching the majors with St. Louis in 2008.

He was inserted into an injury-ravaged Cardinals rotation to begin 2011 and has immediately responded, pitching at least six innings and allowing two or fewer runs in four of five starts.

He defeated Arizona, Los Angeles and Cincinnati in succession between April 11 and 22 while allowing only four runs in 20 hits in 19 innings of work.

Win No. 4 came in his last start on April 28 in Houston, where he was touched for eight hits and five runs in 5 2/3 innings, but nonetheless emerged with an 11-7 triumph to get to 4-0.

McClellan has six career relief outings against Marlins with a 2.57 earned run average in seven combined innings.

For Florida, righty Anibal Sanchez tries again to regain the success he had two starts ago against Colorado.

In that April 22 game, the 27-year-old held the Rockies to a single hit in nine complete innings, walking three batters and striking out nine in a 4-1 defeat of the Rockies.

He's 0-1 with three no-decisions in four other starts this season, including a five-inning stint against Los Angeles on April 27 in which he gave up four hits and three runs.

The Marlins lost the game, 5-4, and are 2-3 this season when Sanchez pitches.

He has split two career decisions against the Cardinals while giving up just 10 hits and three runs in 14 innings.

Florida won three of its five matchups with the Cardinals in 2010.