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Pujols Game Day

Albert/Cardinals set to face Bonds/Giants

Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals will host Barry Bonds and the San Fransisco Giants this weekend. Bonds’ is four homeruns away from tying Hank Aaron’s all time homerun record of 755, and 5 away from beating it. Chances are, Barry will NOT do it in St. Louis. Regardless, this should be a good series. The Cardinals come in with an overall record of 39-43, winners of 2 straight, including 3 out of 4 from Arizona, and 7.5 games behind the Brewers and 3.0 games back of the Cubs. The Cardinals are 20-20 at home so far in 2007. The Giants come in with a record of 36-47, last place in the NL West, 11.5 games behind the leaders- San Diego Padres. The Giants are 15-26 on the road this year, and lost their last game, to the Reds 6-3.

The pitching matchups for this weekend include tonight, Noah Lowry 8-6, 3.46 v. Mike Maroth 0-0, 5.23. Lowry has won 3 of his last 4 starts including a 6.2 inning, 5 hit, 1 run against the Diamondbacks, and a 7-2 win over the Yankees. Lowry is 1-2 with a 4.05 career against the Cardinals. Earlier in the year he went 7 innings, giving up 4 hits, and 2 runs in a win over the Cardinals. Maroth has only pitched two games with the Cardinals, one good, one bad. He received a no decision in both games. His first outing, he went 7.1 innings, giving up just 2 hits, 1 run, including 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. His last outing, he only lasted 3 innings, giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, walking one and striking out 2, in a game the Cardinals won 11-7. He is 0-1 career against the Giants, with a 4.91 ERA. Pujols is 0-2 on the season against Lowry, and 3-8, .375 career with no extra base hits against Lowry.

Saturday’s matchup pits Giants righthander Tim Lincecum against Cardinals righthander Braden Looper. Lincecum is 3-2, with a 4.64 ERA on the season, in his first full season in the major leagues. His last outing, he went 7 innings, giving up just 3 hits, striking out 12 batters, in a 13-0 win over the Diamondbacks. Before that, Tim had not won in his last 6 starts, including 4 no decisions. He has never faced the Cardinals. Braden Looper will be making his second start since re-joining the Cardinals, off the disabled list. He is 6-6, with a 4.65 ERA. Braden is 0-1 in his career against the Giants. In his last start on July 2, Looper went 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 3 runs, all earned, in a game in which the Cardinals won 11-3.

Sunday’s matchup has the Giants ace, Barry Zito, who has underachieved so far during the 2007 season, against Cardinals righthander Todd Wellemeyer. Zito comes in 6-8, with a 4.65 ERA, while Wellemeyer is 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA. Zito has not won since June 4th, including three straight no decisions, coming after 3 losses. In his last start against the Reds he went 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, and 3 runs, in a game the Giants lost to the Reds 7-3. Zito is 0-0 in his career against the Cardinals in his one career outing, a game in which he went 5 innings. Wellemeyer is coming off a poor outing, his first loss of the season, in which the Cardinals lost 7-1 to the Diamondbacks. In his last 10 starts, Todd has only won twice, lost 1, and picked up 7 no decisions, in games in which the Cardinals are 9-1 in. Wellemeyer has never faced the Giants in his career. Albert is 1-2 lifetime against Zito with 2 rbi’s.

Good luck to Albert and the Cardinals, as they look to get back closer to .500 before the All Star Break!