Fri Apr 18 12:01:16 2008

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Cardinals, Giants to get together once again

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(Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals are tied for the most wins in baseball and will resume a six-game homestand this evening with the first of three straight games versus the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis and Arizona both have 11 victories so far this season, although the Cardinals had a two-game winning streak stopped in Thursday's finale of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Prince Fielder's two-run homer in the 10th inning lifted Milwaukee to a 5-3 triumph.

Ryan Ludwick was 4-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored for the Cardinals, who had won four of five coming in. Starter Kyle Lohse allowed five hits and two runs over seven-plus innings of work in a no decision, and helped his cause with a two-run base hit.

Toeing the rubber for St. Louis on Friday will be Todd Wellemeyer, who is 1-0 with a 4.00 earned run average in three starts this season. After winning his season debut on April 2 against Colorado, he has registered back-to-back no decisions.

In his last outing Saturday at San Francisco, Wellemeyer was reached for five runs in six innings of an 8-7 win. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two career games versus the Giants.

San Francisco will open a seven-game road trip against the Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Padres tonight. It is an MLB-worst 1-5 as the visitor this season.

The Giants come in having the last two games of a three-game series versus Arizona, including Wednesday's 4-1 loss in the finale of the set at AT&T Park.

Disappointing starter Barry Zito fell to 0-4 on the season after he allowed four runs - three earned - on five hits and five walks over six innings, cementing the first four-game losing streak of his career.

Eugenio Velez drove in the lone fun for the Giants, losers in four of six overall.

Matt Cain will make his fourth start of the season for the Giants and is 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA in three appearances so far. Cain did not factor in the outcome of an 8-7 home loss to the Cardinals on Saturday, despite allowing a pair of runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings.

The bulky righty was facing St. Louis for the first time in his career. Cain will get his first taste of Busch Stadium tonight.

These teams split a four-game set in San Francisco last weekend, but San Francisco has won six of the last nine meetings between the clubs. In their lone visit to St. Louis last season, the Giants took two of three games.