Currently: - Game info: 1:15 pm EDT Sat May 22, 2004
- TV: FOX
The St. Louis Cardinals try for a season-high fourth straight win they continue a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
St. Louis won its third straight on Friday, holding off its division rival for a 7-6 victory. Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds hit consecutive home runs, and Ray Lankford had three hits with an RBI to power the Cardinals.
“We know how it is with the Cubs,” said St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen, who pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save,
“We always want to beat the Cubs, they always want to beat us. It’s just fun to get a win. We can go out to dinner tonight, have a good time, and come back in the morning and do it all over again.”
The victory moved the Cardinals a season-high four games above .500. St. Louis have failed in its previous three attempts to win a fourth straight game this year.
“We haven’t been playing very well all year. … Hopefully we’re starting to put it together,” Edmonds said. “We just go out there now and try to win the series. Whatever happens, happens and we go from there.”
Chicago has dropped two straight and three of four, but continues to get solid production from Moises Alou. Alou has homered in three straight games for the second time this season, hitting a three-run shot in Friday’s defeat.
He homered to beat San Francisco in the 10th inning Wednesday night, and tied Thursday’s game against the Giants with a home run in the seventh.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive and try to hit the ball hard,” said Alou, who also homered in three straight games from April 14-16. “I got some good wood. They happen to happen in clutch situations.”
With his team riddled by injuries, Cubs manager Dusty Baker has been tweaking his lineup in hopes of finding a combination that works. He moved catcher Mike Barrett up to the second spot Friday. Barrett homered twice.
Viva El Birdos
Bleed Cubbie Blue
