Cubs 2 - 3 Cardinals
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Zambrano aims to continue Busch dominance

Jun 5, 2011 - 2:36 PM

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(Sports Network) - Carlos Zambrano goes after his eighth straight Busch Stadium win today when the Cubs try to avert a three-game sweep against the Cardinals.

Zambrano is 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 30 games (27 starts) against the Cardinals. The big right-hander is riding a three-game winning streak, dating to July 12, 2009 vs. St. Louis. He is 3-0 over seven games (five starts) during the run. What's even more impressive is Zambrano's riding a seven-game winning streak at Busch Stadium. His last defeat in St. Louis came May 19, 2003. He's 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA in seven games at the current Busch Stadium.

In his last three starts overall, Zambrano is 1-0. He's given up two earned runs total over his last two appearances.

While Zambrano has been unstoppable at Busch Stadium, Chris Carpenter has struggled in his home ballpark, where he's 0-1 in five starts this season. Carpenter is coming off a no-decision at home against the Giants on Tuesday, when he allowed two runs over five innings. He fanned a season-high eight batters.

Carpenter is 0-3 in his last four starts overall with the lone win coming May 10 this year at Wrigley Field in a game Zambrano started. In that contest, Carpenter allowed a career-high 13 hits over seven innings. He's 11-6 with a 3.19 ERA in 23 career games against the Cubs.

This big NL Central rivalry reached a dramatic moment Saturday when Albert Pujols blasted the winning solo homer in the 12th inning to give the Cardinals a 5-4 win. Pujols went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Lance Berkman chipped in with a hit and an RBI and Matt Carpenter added a double, his first career hit in his first major league start.

"The confidence level that he's showing, it's almost a different feeling, you get a different aura. You feel like he's going to come through," Cardinals shortstop Ryan Theriot said of Pujols.

Theriot extended his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games with a single in the sixth inning.

Kosuke Fukudome had three hits and an RBI and Carlos Pena added two hits, including his eighth home run of the season for Chicago in its season-high fifth straight defeat.

St. Louis took two of three games at Wrigley Field May 10-12 in their first meeting of the season. The Cardinals were 6-9 (1-5 at Busch Stadium) against the Cubs last season.






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