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Lohse leads Cards in opener vs. Mets

Mon 30th, June 2008

(Sports Network) - Streaking right-hander Kyle Lohse can continue one of baseball's most surprising stories tonight, when he takes the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a four-game series versus the New York Mets at Busch Stadium.

Lohse, who won just three games with Cincinnati in 2006 and was a mediocre 9-12 with both the Reds and Philadelphia Phillies last season, has won six straight decisions to improve his 2008 mark to 9-2.

The 29-year-old California native won a career-high 14 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2003 and has reached double-digits just one other time when he went 13-8 with the Twins in his first full big-league season in 2002.

St. Louis signed him as a comparatively low-priced free agent in the offseason and saw him begin the year with three wins in his initial five decisions, before he began a nine-start unbeaten streak on May 13 against Pittsburgh.

He's 6-0 with three no-decisions since and has seen his earned run average plunge from 4.87 to 3.94.

Lohse is 0-1 in four career starts against the Mets with a 5.75 ERA in 20 1/3 innings.

New York's John Maine will start this evening one season after he was a similar surprise to Lohse.

A winner just nine times in 27 major-league appearances prior to 2007, Maine broke through with 15 wins and a 3.91 ERA in 32 starts last season and has already recorded eight wins through his first 16 starts this year.

He has won his last two starts overall, allowing 11 hits and four runs in 12 2/3 innings while defeating Colorado and Seattle on June 20 and June 25.

The 27-year-old Virginian is 1-0 lifetime against the Cardinals with a 5.25 ERA in 12 innings.

On Sunday in New York, Luis Castillo finished 3-for-5 and knocked in a run, while Oliver Perez threw seven strong innings as the Mets clipped the New York Yankees, 3-1, in the finale of the four-game Subway Series from Shea Stadium.

Carlos Delgado homered and David Wright also drove in a run for the Mets, who earned a split in the set and halted a two-game losing streak.

Perez (6-5) allowed just three hits and one run, tying a season high with eight strikeouts with no walks. It was the second time this season Perez has won a start against the Yankees, following his 7 2/3 inning performance in an 11-2 Mets victory on May 18.

In Kansas City, Jason LaRue homered and tripled to lead a nine-run attack with four runs batted in as St. Louis clinched an I-70 series win, 9-6, in the finale of a three-game interleague set at Kauffman Stadium.

Albert Pujols homered and doubled with two RBI and two runs scored while Adam Kennedy scored twice with an RBI and two walks for St. Louis, which took two of three from the Royals.

Braden Looper lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up three runs - two earned - on six hits and four walks. Chris Perez (2-0) picked up the win after taking over for Looper in the fourth, and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.

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