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Cards' McClellan shoots for seventh victory vs. Padres

May 24, 2011 - 2:40 PM (Sports Network) - A not-so-familiar name can climb to the top of the pitching charts when the St. Louis Cardinals resume a three-game series against the San Diego Padres tonight from Petco Park.

Cardinals right-hander Kyle McClellan aims to become the majors' first seven- game winner and is one of 13 pitchers with six wins already (6-1). Two other hurlers in the St. Louis rotation also have five or more wins, as Kyle Lohse picked up his sixth of the season in last night's 3-1 win over the Padres and Jaime Garcia is a perfect 5-0 so far.

McClellan is in his first season as a starter after spending the previous three years coming out of the bullpen. The Cardinals are 8-1 when McClellan takes the hill in 2011 and got eight innings of two-run ball out of him in last Thursday's 4-2 win versus Houston. McClellan struck out five batters and lowered his earned run average to 3.43. He has never started against the Padres, but is 1-1 in 11 career relief appearances with a 4.50 ERA.

Lohse set the bar high for McClellan by holding San Diego to a run on five hits over eight frames in Monday's series opener. Lohse fanned five batters to improve to 6-2 and issued just one walk. Brian Tallet and Fernando Salas both worked the ninth inning, with Salas notching his eighth save.

Albert Pujols entered the game homerless in a career-high 103 at-bats, but went deep in the sixth inning after flying out his first two times in the batter's box. It was Pujols' eighth home run of the season and first since April 23 versus Cincinnati.

"Every at-bat is a tough one for him," Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa said of Pujols. "They're pitching to him like he's hitting .350."

Daniel Descalso and Ryan Theriot both had RBI singles in the ninth inning for the Cardinals, who have won three in a row and seven of eight games. St. Louis is 3-1 on a nine-game road trip and will also visit Colorado for three games. It opened the trek over the weekend by taking two of three in Kansas City. Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday did not play Monday because of tightness in his left quadriceps and could miss tonight's game.

Pujols is a career .302 hitter with five homers against San Diego starter Aaron Harang from his days with the NL Central-rival Cincinnati Reds. Harang is in his first campaign with the Padres and will make his 10th start of the season tonight. He has recorded back-to-back no-decisions -- both San Diego wins -- and tossed eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory versus Milwaukee last Thursday.

Harang rebounded from a dreadful May 14 start at Colorado in which he allowed seven runs and nine hits in a season-low 4 1/2 innings. He luckily escaped without a loss in the 9-7 win for the Friars. The right-hander is 5-2 with a 4.31 earned run average and has made 23 career starts against St. Louis, compiling a 7-13 mark and a 4.63 ERA in those outings.

Dustin Moseley pitched well in last night's defeat and did not figure into the outcome by holding the Cardinals to a run on five hits and three walks over seven innings.

"When he's on, all four pitches are working for him, and I think we saw that tonight," Padres manager Bud Black said of Moseley.

Mike Adams worked a scoreless eighth before closer Heath Bell absorbed the loss for allowing three hits and two runs in the ninth. Jorge Cantu drove in the lone run and Cameron Maybin had two hits and scored for the Padres, who have dropped four straight and six of seven.

San Diego is 1-5 on an eight-game homestand and won two of three matchups with the Cardinals at Busch Stadium from March 31-April 3.