Coming off their abbreviated sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies the St. Louis Cardinals will get just enough of the Houston Astros to precipitate another visit from Bud Norris Wednesday night. The Astros' Cardinals hoodooer-in-chief will face Kyle Lohse, while J.A. Happ will draw Kyle McClellan on Thuesday before the Cardinals move on to Kansas City to face the Royals.
Albert Pujols is coming off a three-hit night against the Phillies; the Cardinals and their fans will be looking for additional progress from the erstwhile best-player-in-baseball, who hasn't hit a home run all month after an April in which home runs and double plays were all he was hitting.
The Astros, who at 15-27 have the worst record in the National League, have gotten some small consolation from Brett Wallace's breakout season. The first baseman, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals, is hitting .321/.399/.470 after successfully wrestling the starting job from Carlos Lee. Along with Hunter Pence he's provided what little fireworks the Astros have offered their fans in what's become an ugly rebuilding year.