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Cardinals Vs. Astros Preview: St. Louis Heads To Houston For A Three-Game Weekend Series

The St. Louis Cardinals are in Houston for a three-game weekend series against the Astros.

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 22:  Kyle Lohse #26 of the St Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the game on April 22, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 22: Kyle Lohse #26 of the St Louis Cardinals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the game on April 22, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
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After claiming a series win against the Pittsburgh Pirates but falling short of a sweep on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals travel to Texas to take on the Houston Astros in a three-game set for the weekend. On Friday night, the Cards will send Kyle Lohse to the mound in opposition to Astros hurler Lucas Harrell. Over at SB Nation's Cardinals blog, Viva El Birdos, Dan Moore took the time to compare two over-performing veteran starters on St. Louis -- Jake Westbrook and Kyle Lohse -- and believes that while Lohse could be the better pitcher this year, Westbrook will look more impressive after posting bad numbers last season.

Will Lohse keep up his strong start so far this year against an Astros offense that has been far better than anyone expected? Here's a quick breakdown of Houston's hitters using weighted on-base average via Crawfish Boxes:

Hitters wOBA
1) Jed Lowrie .410
2) Jose Altuve .405
3) J.D. Martinez .364
4) Travis Buck .356
5) Chris Johnson .353
6) Jordan Schafer .331
7) Brian Bogusevic .319
8) Carlos Lee .269
9) Matt Downs .291
10) Jason Castro .284
11) Justin Maxwell .276
12) Marwin Gonzalez .239
13) Chris Snyder .210

Starters: Kyle Lohse (4-0, 1.62 ERA) vs. Lucas Harrell (1-2, 4.71 ERA)

Game Date & Time: Friday, May 4, 7:05 p.m. CT

Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

TV: Fox Sports Midwest

Radio: AM 1120 KMOX (click here for full list of affiliates)

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Astros news and analysis is available at Crawfish Boxes. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.

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