VENUE: Busch Stadium
The St. Louis Cardinals can't seem to beat anybody except the Cincinnati Reds, but that trend may be enough to give them hope in the NL Central through the end of this weekend.
Having Adam Wainwright on the mound Saturday probably won't hurt, either.
The Cardinals ace looks to snap his three-start losing streak and vault St. Louis to a sixth consecutive victory over first-place Cincinnati in the matinee at Busch Stadium.
The Reds (78-56) lead the division by seven games despite a 3-2 loss in the series opener Friday night. Cincinnati is 21-5 against all other opponents since July 31, but 0-4 against the Cardinals in that stretch.
St. Louis (70-62) has been posting opposite results, losing 13 of 18 between a three-game sweep of the Reds from Aug. 9-11 and Friday's win. The Cardinals likely need another sweep this weekend to maintain a realistic chance of winning a second consecutive division title.
Their three best starting pitchers were lined up for this series, and rookie Jaime Garcia was sharp Friday before St. Louis' bullpen pitched 2 1-3 hitless innings.
"He knows what's at stake," manager Tony La Russa said of Garcia. "Not just who we're playing, just the fact we've had trouble winning the game."
Cardinals fans especially enjoyed the 0-for-4 performance by Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who was repeatedly booed after his negative comments about the Cardinals helped spark a brawl in Cincinnati last month.
"We expected it," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "Hopefully, Brandon will respond a little better (Saturday)."
Phillips was making his first start since Aug. 25, when he was hit on the hand by a pitch at San Francisco.
The Reds have totaled 11 runs in their last five games against St. Louis, and their lineup is unlikely to have an easier time Saturday.
Wainwright (17-9, 2.30 ERA) beat Cincinnati with seven shutout innings in a 6-1 win Aug. 11, although he has since lost three consecutive outings for the first time in his career.
The right-hander's last two defeats have come against last-place teams Pittsburgh and Washington. He lasted five innings against the Nationals on Sunday, allowing four runs, six hits and three walks in a 4-2 defeat.
"I try to be the stopper," Wainwright said, "not the guy who continues the losing."
Wainwright, tied with Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez for the NL lead in wins, was 11-0 at home before being beaten by Milwaukee on Aug. 18 in his most recent outing at Busch Stadium. He gave up three runs in seven innings of the 3-2 defeat.
Cincinnati's Travis Wood (4-2, 3.53) looks to bounce back from a pair of rocky outings as he faces the Cardinals for the first time.
The rookie left-hander posted a 2.51 ERA in his first nine major league starts, but he's gone 0-1 with a 10.00 ERA in his last two outings. He allowed a season-high 10 hits and three runs in five innings of a 7-5 win over Chicago on Sunday.
Wood will try to extend the 0-for-16 slump of Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, whose bid for the Triple Crown is taking a hit. Pujols leads the NL in home runs and is second in RBIs, but he's slipped to fifth in batting average.
Cincinnati's Joey Votto may have a better chance. He's second in average, tied for third in home runs - three behind Pujols - and first in RBIs.
