A pair of National League teams continue a series on the diamond down in the Valley of the Sun. The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road as they play the middle game of a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday night. St. Louis swept Colorado at home in their previous series as they rolled to a 13-0 triumph Thursday afternoon in their most recent game. Arizona split a four-game series on the road against the Giants as they earned a 5-0 triumph Thursday afternoon in the series finale. This article was published prior to the conclusion of the series opener at Chase Field Friday night.
St. Louis won their fourth straight game as they hammered Colorado in the finale of their three-game set at home Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals entered Friday leading the NL Central by three games over the Brewers and hope to extend that advantage here. Paul Goldschmidt (run, two RBI) had three hits while five other players each had two for the Cardinals to pace a 15-hit attack. Albert Pujols (his 11th) and Lars Nootbaar (his eighth) each homered in the contest for St. Louis in the victory. Adam Wainwright (9-8) earned the win as he threw seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts before departing.
Dakota Hudson is on the mound for his 22nd start of the season for the Cardinals in this contest here. He comes in 6-6 with a 4.17 ERA, a 1.400 WHIP, 50 walks and 62 strikeouts over 110 innings of work this season. Hudson didn’t factor i n the decision in his last start, which came on the road against the Rockies on August 11. He threw five innings, allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts in a game the Cardinals eventually dropped 8-6. In his last three starts, Hudson has no record with a 4.72 ERA, a 1.73 WHIP, eight walks and nine strikeouts over 13.1 innings of work. Hudson makes his third career start against the Diamondbacks in this contest. He is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, a 0.917 WHIP, seven walks and nine strikeouts over 12 innings of work. Hudson, in his 91st career appearance and 63rd major league start, pitches at Chase Field for the first time here.