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Cardinals aim to even set with Royals

Jun 18, 2011 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - An error by Albert Pujols cost the St. Louis Cardinals the game in Friday's series opener with the in-state rival Kansas City Royals. Tonight, Pujols and the Cardinals will try to put an end to their seven-game losing streak in the second matchup of this three-game set at Busch Stadium.

Cardinals veteran starter and losing pitcher Chris Carpenter walked Mike Moustakas to start the eighth inning and Matt Treanor moved the runner over with a sacrifice bunt. One out later Alcides Escobar reached on a fielding error by Pujols at first and Moustakas came around to score for a 5-4 deciding margin. Carpenter allowed five runs -- four earned -- and 10 hits in eight innings with seven K's to fall to 1-7 on the season.

"I don't know what the deal is," Carpenter said. "I felt like I had good stuff and made pretty good pitches, they got some runs and some hits and we lost."

Lance Berkman hit a three-run double and Jon Jay added two hits for St. Louis, which began a nine-game homestand on a sour note and will also welcome Philadelphia and Toronto to the Gateway City. Cardinals shortstop Ryan Theriot was out of the lineup for the second straight game on Friday with discomfort in both his back and left leg. He could miss tonight's game as well.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who already hit the 5,000 mark for games managed, worked his 2,500th game as Cardinals skipper last night. La Russa's club is one game behind Milwaukee for the NL Central lead and hopes to get things going tonight in the latest edition of the I-70 Series.

The Cardinals, who haven't lost eight straight since the 2007 season, will pin pitching duties on Jake Westbrook tonight and he was 4-0 in five starts before losing at Milwaukee on Sunday. In the 4-3 setback to the Brewers, Westbrook was hit for four runs in five innings to fall to 6-4 in 14 starts to go along with an already high 5.16 ERA.

Westbrook has allowed three or more runs in three of his last four outings and looks to move over the .500 mark at home. He is 2-2 in six starts at Busch Stadium this season and defeated Kansas City on May 21 at Kauffman Stadium, allowing four hits over eight shutout innings of a 3-0 triumph.

In 22 career games (16 starts) against the Royals, the right-hander is 7-3 with a 2.40 ERA. Westbrook has plenty of experience against the Royals from his lengthy days with Cleveland, another member in the AL Central.

Kansas City ended a two-game slide and won for the fifth time in eight tries with Friday's one-run triumph. Alex Gordon drove in two runs, Chris Getz posted two hits and a pair of runs scored and starting pitcher Felipe Paulino was credited with an RBI for the Royals.

Paulino allowed four runs and five hits in six innings in the no-decision, while reliever Blake Wood improved to 3-0 with a scoreless seventh inning. Joakim Soria nailed down his 11th save in the ninth and got Pujols to ground out to end the game.

"I just tried to throw fastballs down and away, tried to hit good spots," Soria said on Kansas City's website. "To me, he's the best hitter in the league. If you're going to face the best hitter, you have to throw good pitches. I got behind in the count, got a strike. Then I threw a fastball down and away, and it worked for me."

The Royals are 4-3 on a nine-game road trip.

Vin Mazzaro hopes to build off of a strong outing the last time out when he takes the hill Saturday for KC. Mazzaro tossed seven shutout innings in Sunday's 9-0 drubbing at the LA Angels of Anaheim and lifted his record to 1-1 with a 10.80 ERA in four games, three of which have been starts.

Mazzaro was pelted for six runs in five innings the previous time out in an 8-5 loss to Toronto on June 7. The right-hander did not record a decision in his only appearance against St. Louis on June 18, 2010, when he allowed four runs in five innings of a 6-4 loss in the Gateway City.