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Wainwright shoots for win No. 13 at Wrigley

Jul 27, 2014 - 2:21 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The last time Adam Wainwright faced the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the right-hander suffered through one of his worst starts this season. Today, Wainwright gets an opportunity to become the first 13-game winner in the majors as the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Wainwright is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this season, but his lone appearance at Wrigley Field on May 2 saw him give up a season-high 10 hits along with six runs over five frames. Wainwright suffered his first defeat on the north side after 17 games (12 starts).

Over his career, Wainwright is 9-7 with a 4.44 ERA in 34 games (25 starts) against the Cubs. He is 6-1 all-time at Wrigley Field.

Wainwright, who has yet to lose consecutive starts this season, is coming off a 7-2 loss versus Tampa Bay on Tuesday when he allowed six hits and six runs -- four earned -- over just 4 2/3 innings.

There are six pitchers in the National League with 12 victories, but only Wainwright takes the mound today. Detroit's Rick Porcello, who also has 12 wins, pitches today in Anaheim.

Kyle Hendricks counters for the Cubs as the 24-year-old righty makes his third major league start. Hendricks, who was acquired from Texas at the trade deadline two years ago, made his Wrigley Field debut Tuesday versus San Diego and earned his first win after tossing seven shutout innings. Hendricks held the Padres to five hits over seven innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Hendricks has allowed just one run in his last 12 innings after surrendering three runs in the first inning of his big league debut in Cincinnati on July 10.

Yesterday, Matt Adams finished with a pair of hits and drove in four runs, leading St. Louis to a 6-3 win. New acquisition A.J. Pierzynski collected three hits and knocked in a run for the Cardinals, who rebounded from a one- run loss in Friday's opener and snapped a four-game losing streak.

"I definitely wanted to play this year because I didn't want to end with a bad taste in my mouth after Boston," Pierzynski said. "I wanted to find a place to play. I didn't want to end the season, I didn't want to end anything like that."

Matt Carpenter added an RBI and scored twice, while Randy Choate (2-2) recorded the final out in the sixth to snag the win. Shelby Miller lasted 5 2/3 innings and yielded two runs on three hits while fanning three.

Nate Schierholtz and Ryan Sweeney hit solo homers for the Cubs, who have dropped eight of their last 10. Emilio Bonifacio contributed three hits and scored once in the setback.

James Russell (0-2) was charged with four runs on two hits while retiring two batters in defeat. Jake Arrieta gave up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over the first six frames.

"He did all that with not his best stuff, but he was still pretty effective," Cubs manager Rick Renteria noted of Arrieta. "That performance was probably indicative of how much he's grown."

The Cardinals have won six of the 11 meetings this season.