(64-53) at Chicago 
(69-46)August 08, 2008
2:20 PM ET, 1:20 PM CT, 12:20 PM MT, 11:20 AM P,
Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV: FSMW, CSN
Looper (10-9) Lilly (11-6)
Rivalry renewed: Cards set to face first-place Cubs
Photo: Friday's starter Braden Looper has a 2.65 ERA over 34 career innings at Wrigley. (AP)
Perez getting closer, but not yet the Cards' closer
Photo: Chris Perez yielded one hit over 1 2/3 frames on Wednesday. (Kyle Ericson/AP)
Cubs looking to keep Cardinals at arm's length
Photo: Manager Lou Piniella has called Ted Lilly a "big-game pitcher." (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
Wood set up to move back into closer's role
Photo: Kerry Wood tossed a scoreless eighth inning on Tuesday. (Nam Y. Huh)
The Series:
August 8, 2008-STL (Looper) @ CHC (Lilly)-1:20 PM CT
August 9, 2008-STL (Wellemeyer) @ CHC (Zambrano)-2:55 PM CT
August 10, 2008-STL (Carpenter) @ CHC (Dempster) -7:05 PM CT
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/preview?gid=280808116
Yesterday:After playing 20 games in 20 days, the Chicago Cubs finally got a break.
Alfonso Soriano, though, didn’t seem to mind all the work.
Coming off their first day off since the All-Star break, the Cubs and a red-hot Soriano look to further distance themselves from their NL Central rivals when they open a three-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
Chicago (69-46) has played well despite a grueling schedule, winning nine of 11 to open a five-game lead over Milwaukee and a six-game advantage over St. Louis (64-53) in the Central.
Much of the Cubs’ recent success is due to Soriano, who is hitting .348 with six home runs, five doubles and 15 RBIs in 11 games since returning from a broken finger. Chicago has outscored its opponents 75-39 during that stretch after managing two runs or less in four of its previous six contests.
Soriano launched a three-run homer during an eight-run third inning in the Cubs’ 11-5 win over Houston on Wednesday.
“His presence in the lineup means a lot to us in different ways,” Piniella said. “We can rest our catcher (Geovany Soto) a little more. We can rotate our outfield a little more. … It gives us a lot of flexibility, and when he gets hot, it carries us.”
Chicago has also gotten excellent pitching over its last 11 games, posting a 3.40 ERA. Ted Lilly (11-6, 4.35 ERA), who will take the mound Friday, is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last four starts, and has won 10 of his last 12 decisions.
The left-hander allowed one run and six hits while striking out five in 6 1-3 innings to earn a win as Chicago beat Pittsburgh 5-1 on Saturday.
Lilly is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts versus the Cardinals this season, and 4-2 with a 3.06 ERA in eight career starts against them. He’ll be facing a St. Louis team that went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
Ryan Ludwick’s consecutive home run streak ended at five games as the Cardinals missed a chance to sweep the three-game series. Ludwick, whose run tied a St. Louis record, has 29 homers and is batting .475 (19-for-40) during a 10-game hitting streak.
Ludwick is 2-for-12 (.167) versus Lilly, while fellow Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols is batting .381 (8-for-21) with two home runs and two doubles against him.
The duo will try to provide some offense for Braden Looper (10-9, 4.29), who has gone 1-2 in his last three starts despite posting a 2.37 ERA over that span.
The veteran right-hander gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings as St. Louis lost 2-1 to Philadelphia on Saturday night.
Looper is 3-4 with a 2.39 ERA in five starts and 32 relief appearances versus Chicago.
The Cubs and Cardinals have split six games this season, all played at St. Louis.
Cardinals can't solve Kershaw in finale defeat
Photo: Rick Ankiel reacts after striking out as the tying run in the ninth. (Kyle Ericson/AP)
Kyle Lohse struck out five and walked one on Thursday. (Kyle Ericson/AP)
Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw pitches in the second inning during their baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, August 7, 2008, in St. Louis.
(AP Photo/Kyle Ericson)
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Pitchers Chris Carpenter #29 and Adam Wainwright #50 both of the St. Louis Cardinals watch their team play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Jason LaRue #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws to first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Cesar Izturis #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals turns a double play over Angel Berroa #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen #44 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Pitchers Chris Carpenter #29 of the St. Louis Cardinals watches his team play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals tosses the ball to first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Rick Ankiel #24 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts to striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 7: Troy Glaus #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals reacts to nearly being hit by a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium August 7, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals 4-1. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
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