Currently: - Game info: 7:05 pm EDT Wed Apr 21, 2004
- TV: ESPN, FSSW
St. Louis Cardinals ace Matt Morris looks to win his third straight start and end a five-game losing streak against the Houston Astros when the teams meet in the second game of a three-game series.
Morris has rebounded nicely after losing on opening day, when he gave up seven runs—five earned—and five hits in five innings of St. Louis’ 8-6 loss to Milwaukee. He’s allowed just six runs and 10 hits over 16 innings in wins against Arizona and Colorado in his last two outings.
Now, the right-hander will try to beat the Astros for the first time since May 28, 2002. He is 0-5 with a 4.93 ERA in his last seven starts against them.
Morris didn’t pitch in the teams’ three-game series at Busch Stadium last week, which the Astros swept by outscoring the Cards 26-9.
St. Louis has since won three of four, including a 5-3 victory in the opener of this series Tuesday. Reggie Sanders and Albert Pujols homered, and Sanders robbed the Astros’ Jeff Bagwell of a homer to lead the Cardinals.
“The wind was really howling out there and it was difficult to stay with the ball,” Sanders said. “I knew I couldn’t afford to take my eye off of it.”
Houston tried to rally in the eighth. Bagwell singled and Jeff Kent got on base with help from an error by third baseman Scott Rolen. Lance Berkman homered off Steve Kline, pulling the Astros within two runs.
Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen struck out Richard Hidalgo and Mike Lamb in the eighth, then went on to earn the save as St. Louis broke a four-game losing streak at Houston.
“We needed to prove to those guys that we could play with them after they kicked our butts last week,” Isringhausen said. “We had to show them a little something.”
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