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Despite Albert Pujols' departure and injuries to Lance Berkman and David Freese, the St. Louis Cardinals have gotten off to a fast start. That's due in part to Matt Carpenter and Kyle Lohse, and the duo may give their team a good opportunity to keep it going in a matchup with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

Carpenter hopes to get the chance to follow a five-RBI performance, while Lohse tries to beat the Reds for the second time in a row when the teams open a three-game set at Busch Stadium.

Carpenter, who's been playing because Berkman and Freese have been nursing minor injuries, went 4 for 4 and drove in five runs to power St. Louis to a 10-3 win over Chicago on Sunday. The rookie homered and tripled and is batting .409 with 10 RBIs in 22 at-bats.

"We've got some guys dinged up, so the opportunity's there, I'm just trying to make the most of it," Carpenter said. "I couldn't tell you if I would have dreamed of having a day like this."

Despite the spectacular effort, Carpenter might not find his name in the starting lineup for this game. Berkman missed the weekend series with a strained left calf but could be back, while Freese might also return from an injured right ring finger.

"They both came in swearing up and down that Tuesday's their day, so we'll see what happens," manager Mike Matheny said.

While the return of both players could put Carpenter back on the bench, outfielder Carlos Beltran was taken out of Sunday's contest after being hit by a pitch on the right forearm. He had trouble throwing and his status is day to day.

Carpenter's timely offense has helped St. Louis post a .299 batting average - best in baseball. The Cardinals (7-3) have also benefited from a solid effort from the pitching staff, anchored in part by Lohse (2-0, 1.35 ERA).

The right-hander defeated the Reds 3-1 in his latest outing last Tuesday, going six innings and allowing one run. Lohse has posted a 2.00 ERA in his last five starts versus the Reds.

St. Louis took two of three from Cincinnati (4-6) in the first series, though the Reds' one win came when Johnny Cueto (1-0, 2.25) started. The right-hander only lasted five innings and gave up three runs Wednesday, but Cincinnati rallied from a 3-1 deficit and won 4-3 on Chris Heisey's walkoff single in the ninth.

ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Cardinals' other Carpenter is fast making a name for himself.

Rookie Matt Carpenter, no relation to injured pitcher Chris Carpenter, made his first opening day roster because of Skip Schumaker's spring training injury. He's getting a chance to play because Lance Berkman and David Freese have been nursing minor injuries.

When those guys come back, at the very least the Cardinals will have a very valuable bench piece.

''Berkman's, he's in there joking, 'We found our first baseman,''' manager Mike Matheny said. ''It's a great reward when you see somebody work as hard as Matt did.''

The rookie homered, tripled and drove in five runs, backing strong pitching from Jake Westbrook in a 10-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Carpenter is batting .409 with 10 RBIs in 22 at-bats, following up on success in spring training when he led the team with 25 hits. He singled his first two trips with an RBI, belted a two-run shot to straightaway center off Lendy Castillo in the fifth for his first career homer and added a two-run triple off Rodrigo Lopez in the seventh.

''We've got some guys dinged up, so the opportunty's there, I'm just trying to make the most of it,'' Carpenter said. ''I couldn't tell you if I would have dreamed of having a day like this.

''You're just up there trying to grind it out and I was fortunate to have a pretty successful day.''

Berkman missed the weekend series with a strained left calf but did some running Sunday and could be back Tuesday when the Cardinals open a three-game series against the Reds. Freese also could be back from an injured right ring finger, but outfielder Carlos Beltran was taken out in the sixth, four innings after he was hit by a pitch on the right forearm when he had trouble throwing.

''They both came in swearing up and down that Tuesday's their day, so we'll see what happens,'' Matheny said.

Westbrook (2-0) allowed one earned run in seven strong innings, following up on his debut in which he gave up an unearned run in seven innings at Cincinnati. He dropped 20 pounds in the offseason after a disappointing 2011 in which he went 12-9 but with a 4.66 ERA and was virtually unused in the Cardinals' World Series championship run.

Westbrook pounded his sinker for 12 ground ball outs, and allowed four hits. He threw first-pitch strikes to nine of his first 11 batters.

''That's how I'm able to be successful, when I get ahead and control some counts,'' Westbrook said. ''Just keeping the hitters on their toes.''

Reed Johnson had two hits and an RBI for the Cubs, who scored their second run on a wild pitch. They were outscored 15-4 the last two games after hammering Adam Wainwright in St. Louis' home opener for a 9-5 victory.

Westbrook allowed an unearned run in seven innings in his first start at Cincinnati. He's gotten plenty of support, with St. Louis scoring 17 runs his first two outing

The Cardinals are 12-6 against the Cubs the last two seasons and 8-2 at home.

Notes: The Cubs had been 8-for-10 on steals before Byrd was thrown out. ... Westbrook threw first-pitch strikes to nine of his first 11 batters. ... Two members of the Cubs rotation have no wins since July 10, 2011, with Chris Volstad 0-6 with a 4.17 ERA since beating the Astros. ... Beltran is batting .429 (9-for-21) with two homers and six RBIs against Maholm. ... Schumaker (oblique) began his rehab with Triple-A Memphis Sunday and was 0-for-2, while turning a double play at second base. ... Matt Holliday had been 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position before his RBI single in the third. ... Carpenter is the Cardinals' first rookie to get four hits since Daniel Descalso on July 6, 2011 against the Reds. He's the team's first rookie to get five RBIs since Freese had six on April 29, 2010 against the Braves.

La Russa i hate u wats ur love affair with suchmaker, craig is a beast dont u get it ugh...

You wanted the glamour of a space walk and gerbil experiments, so deal with the combustion and shrapnel.

Q: What year is it?
A: Ty Wigginton

You wanted the glamour of a space walk and gerbil experiments, so deal with the combustion and shrapnel.

full lineup is back! Yay!

tim_trokey #STLcards with same lineup as opener for 5th time this season... they never used the same lineup more than 4 times last season. #MathenyBall

"Obviously, there's one guy everybody wants, and unfortunately for them, we're going to get him."

Brandon Phillips ‏ @DatDudeBP
It's A Beautiful Day In The #Slum.. Today we play the @Cardinals for a 3game series! Wonder if #BooPhillips will show up this series #DoWork