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Edwin Jackson makes Cards debut versus Cubs

Jul 29, 2011 - 3:17 PM (Sports Network) - Edwin Jackson is no stranger to getting moved before the non-waiver trade deadline, or switching leagues for that matter.

St. Louis hopes that adds up to a successful debut for its new starter as Jackson takes the hill for the Cardinals tonight in the opener of a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium.

Wednesday was certainly one filled with activity for Jackson. He was first shipped from the White Sox to the Blue Jays, who then flipped him hours later along with outfielder Corey Patterson and pitchers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel to the Cardinals for outfielder Colby Rasmus and pitchers P.J. Walters, Brian Tallet and Trever Miller.

The 27-year-old Jackson moved prior to the July 31 deadline for a second straight year as the Diamondbacks dealt him to the White Sox a season ago.

"It feels like I was born on the move," Jackson told MLB.com. "It seems like with my name, they don't end up being rumors, they always go through. This is a winning situation for me. There's a great group of guys here, a lot of energy here and a it's a chance to go into the postseason. I'm happy to be thrown in the mix here."

The Cubs are no stranger to the right-hander either. He faced them on July 1 and beat them for the first time in four starts, allowing four runs over six innings. Jackson still has an undesirable 7.77 earned run average in this series.

The 2001 draft pick won his final two starts with the White Sox, including Sunday's 4-2 decision at Cleveland. Jackson gave up two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings eight days after throwing a nine-hit shutout in Detroit. It was his first shutout since a no-hitter versus the Rays on June 25, 2010.

Jackson went 7-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts with the White Sox and the Cardinals will hope he can make a difference in a tight NL Central race. A 5-3 loss to the Astros on Thursday left St. Louis tied with Pittsburgh for second in the standings, 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee.

Albert Pujols doubled twice and drove in a run, while Patterson had a hit and an RBI in his Cardinals debut. Rzepczynski and Dotel also combined for three innings of scoreless relief following starter Jaime Garcia, with Rzepczynski notching four of his six outs by strikeout.

Garcia took the loss after yielding five runs -- four earned -- over six innings as St. Louis lost the final two contests of the four-game series after winning five of six.

"He was OK. He certainly didn't stink up the joint, but he wasn't as good as he usually is," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of his starter.

Already minus Lance Berkman due to right shoulder injury, one that could keep him out tonight as well, St. Louis saw three players exit with injuries on Thursday. Backup catcher Gerald Laird left with a hand injury in the second inning and his replacement, Tony Cruz had to leave in the eighth after taking foul ball off his right hand.

Second baseman Nick Punto also left early because of a strained left oblique, meaning some more new faces could be summoned to St. Louis today.

While the Cardinals added pieces for their playoff push, the Cubs were sellers on Thursday as they dealt outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to the Indians for a pair of minor leaguers. That came on the same day they lost, 4-2, to the Brewers.

Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano had an RBI apiece for the Cubs, who followed up a three-game sweep of the Astros by losing all three meetings with the Brewers. They plated just four runs in the series.

"The series was all about our lack of offense," Cubs manager Mike Quade said. "We have to get hits with runners in scoring position."

Matt Garza hopes that is the case tonight as he aims for his first win since June 27.

The right-hander has not factored into the decision of his last four starts, but has yielded just three runs over his past three outings. He has gone seven innings in each game of that span, including Sunday versus Houston as he gave up two runs on five hits and three walks. Garza also struck out nine before Chicago won in extra innings.

Garza is 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA in 19 starts this season and bested the Cardinals on May 11. The 27-year-old threw five innings of one-run ball in facing St. Louis for the second time in his career.

The Cardinals have won their past four meetings with the Cubs and five of six overall this season. That includes a three-game sweep at home on June 3-5.