=== St. Louis Cardinals Team Report - July 6 ===

(Betting Express) - The Cardinals will attempt to stay in first place alone in the Central this afternoon, when they close out their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

St. Louis dropped a 6-5 decision to the Cubs on Saturday. Despite the defeat, the Cardinals remain atop the Central --- a game ahead of Houston and the Cubs.

Jeff Fassero (1-4) was tagged with the loss for the Cardinals after allowing one run on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. Matt Morris permitted four runs on eight hits over five innings. The righthander, who had not pitched since June 25 due to a sore shoulder, struck out two and walked a pair.

Albert Pujols hit a monstrous three-run homer, while Jim Edmonds added a solo homer for the Cardinals, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Edmonds now has hit eight homers in his last 11 affairs.

The Cardinals will ride the broad shoulders of veteran righthander Woody Williams this afternoon. Williams has split his last four contests, including a defeat to San Francisco on Tuesday. The hurler surrendered six hits and five runs over seven innings in the loss, while walking and striking out two.

Williams has tallied a 1-0 record with a 3.38 ERA in a pair of contests against the Cubs this season. For his career, Williams has posted a 1-3 mark with a 3.98 ERA in six games.

The Cardinals have won five of eight meetings between these clubs in 2003, including splitting four at Wrigley Field. Over the last two seasons, St. Louis owns a 17-9 advantage in the series.

St. Louis is 19-23 on the road this season.