• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cardinals' RHP Wells faces former club, looks to end slump

May 23, 2007 - 3:04 PM Pittsburgh (19-25) at St Louis (17-25) 8:10 pm EDT

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Kip Wells will see if facing his former team can improve his chances for a win.

The struggling Wells takes on his former team as the St. Louis Cardinals meet the Pittsburgh Pirates in the middle game of a three-game series on Wednesday.

Despite signing in the offseason with the defending champion, Wells (1-8, 6.75 ERA) has had next nothing go right for him in his brief tenure with the Cardinals.

A 12-game winner with the Pirates in 2002, Wells has dropped his last seven outings, giving up at least four earned runs in each of his last six starts. The righthander surrendered five runs and six hits in five innings of a 5-4 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers last Wednesday.

A first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1998, Wells has had his problems with losing streaks in the past, finishing first in the National League in losses with an 8-18 mark as a member of the Pirates in 2005. He lost six straight decisions that season.

Wells has faced Pittsburgh once before, yielding an unearned run and four hits in 8 1/3 innings for a win as a member of the White Sox.

In Monday's series opener, Chris Duncan drove in three runs and starter Adam Wainwright helped his own cause with two RBI as the Cardinals posted a 9-4 triumph.

Ian Snell (4-2, 2.76) takes the ball for Pittsburgh. Snell gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. This season, the righthander is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts vs. the Cardinals.

Snell, however, might run into a little trouble as St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols is hitting .545 (6-for-11) with four homers.