Pujols has Cards on brink of NLCS

Oct 7, 2006, 14:45 GMT

(Sports Network) - Albert Pujols has St. Louis on the verge of their third straight National League Championship Series, as the Cardinals try and complete a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres this afternoon in the best-of-five NLDS at Busch Stadium.

Pujols has been absolute monster in leading Cardinals to victories in the first two games of this series. In Game 2 on Thursday the NL's reigning MVP went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in to lead St. Louis to a 2-0 victory at Petco Park. Jim Edmonds had an RBI while Preston Wilson scored for the Cardinals, who have won eight straight postseason games from the Padres.

Pujols, who is 5-for-8 in this series, is now hitting over .416 with 15 homers and 47 RBI in 42 games - including the playoffs - against San Diego. He went 5-for-9 in the NLDS last season and is batting .352 with 11 homers and 32 RBI in 39 career playoff games.

Jeff Weaver (1-0) picked up the win, giving up two hits while walking three and striking out three in five scoreless innings. Meanwhile, four St. Louis relievers combined to give up two hits in four innings, including Adam Wainwright, who retired the last four batters for his first career postseason save.

Adrian Gonzalez, Mike Cameron, Ryan Klesko and Josh Barfield had the only hits for the Padres, who were also swept by the Cardinals in last year's NLDS.

David Wells (0-1) gave up two runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts in five innings for the loss for San Diego, which was outhit 10-4.

Heading to the hill this afternoon for the Cardinals will be veteran Jeff Suppan, who finished the regular season with a 12-7 record and 4.12 ERA in 32 starts. The righty won his last three decisions and was unbeaten (3-0) through his last nine trips to the mound.

Suppan, the Cards' No. 2 starter, was held back a game so he could pitch at home, where he was 7-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 starts. However, he struggled in two starts against the Padres this season, going 0-1 against them with a 10.24 ERA.

The 31-year-old hurler is 2-2 in the postseason with a 3.45 ERA.

San Diego will go with Chris Young in Game 3. The 6-10, 260-pound righty led the Padres with a 3.46 ERA to go along with an 11-5 record in 31 starts. Young, who won his last two decisions of 2006 and was unbeaten in the past nine trips to the mound, will make his postseason debut today.

Young, who was 6-0 in 15 road starts this season and is 9-0 in his last 24 outings away from home dating to June 2005, has only faced the Cardinals once in his career and received a no-decision, as he allowed a run on three hits in seven frames.

San Diego won four of its six regular season matchups with the Cardinals this year.

Game 4, if necessary, will be Sunday afternoon.

© 2006 The Sports Network