The road trip so far has not gone to plan. That doesn't mean the Cubs can't handle their rivals in St. Louis. The ball club will try with earnest efforts to win 2 of 3 before departing back home to face the Giants, who remain without Barry Bonds. With a victory earlier in the day the Astros have sneaked a game and a half in front of the Cubs. Chicago needs to stay on pace. If not for a tie-breaking, game winning suicide squeeze Friday night by the Cardinals' David Eckstein a sweep could have be possible. Thanks to the double play off the bat of Albert Puljos in game 2, the Cubs barely scathed by on the hair of their chin. Mark Prior(7-3) is set to go against Jeff Suppan(9-7) for the final game of the series. Relying on the bats of Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, who are both sizzling may not be enough to stop the Cardinals.
An injured Scott Rolen and Reggie Sanders does help the cause, but without these guys there is plenty of offense left in the Cards' lineup. With Prior bringing his best stuff he can keep the scoring to a minimum. His presence is the rotation means so much to the team. His contributions is a major in winning. A good approach for Prior facing the Cardinal hitters is this: throw Jim Edmonds high fastballs away, use breaking ball when needed, don't give Albert Puljos anything over the middle of the plate to swing at, keep him guessing with pitches on the outside corner or throw up and tight to back him off the plate, keep the lead off batter from the getting on base, and let your teammates handle the rest of the load. When these two teams meet during the season it's always a spirited,competitive affair.
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