St. Louis takes on Arizona shooting for fifth consecutive series win

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The St. Louis Cardinals won their fourth straight series after last night’s thriller under the Arch. The club has won two out of three in each series this year — good for an 8-4 record and 1st place in the NL Central. In baseball, the goal is always to leave a series with a win. So far, the Cards are taking care of business and they look to continue the trend with the three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D’Backs are limping into the series. The team has lost four games in a row and stands at 5-7 on the year. St. Louis isn’t exactly the team Arizona wanted to see at Chase Field tonight, but that’s who they get. Some things to watch for over the next three days in the desert:

-Brad Penny takes on Rodrigo Lopez tonight. He has been great for St. Louis thus far, keeping hitters off balance and throwing strikes for a .64 ERA. He looks to keep the momentum going against a team he has owned during his career. Penny is very familiar with Arizona from his days in Los Angeles and he should have some tricks up his sleeve later on. Lopez is definitely hittable; he is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in 2010.

-Kyle Lohse gets the ball Tuesday and tries to join the other four starters on the road to success. Lohse (0-1, 4.15 ERA) is still trying to find a comfort zone in the new season. Perhaps the intensity will rise when facing a top starter in the league, Dan Haren. The Redbird that got away has turned into an elite hurler and sits at 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA.

-Finally, Chris Carpenter gets Edwin Jackson. Carp has looked dominant in two of his starts and seems primed for another Cy Young worthy season. Jackson is an up-and-comer who is still learning the ropes in the National League and a new city after coming over from Detroit. Many think he will be a stud on the mound. Now, he just needs to find some stability to develop his skills. He won 13 games for the Tigers in 2009 and 14 in Tampa Bay before that. Expect an interesting battle Wednesday.

*Tonight’s game starts at 8:40 CDT. Enjoy for those of you who can stay awake. Gotta love the west coast series. Let’s just hope it doesn’t go 20 or then it will be an all nighter. At least that one had an afternoon start!