Arizona @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 9, 2011 ) Arizona 6, St. Louis 7

THE STORY: Albert Pujols isn’t an All Star for the first time in nine seasons. The Arizona Diamondbacks would beg to differ. Coming off his best performance since returning from the disabled list, Pujols will try to help the Cardinals close out the first half on a high note Sunday against the visiting Diamondbacks. Pujols hit a game-tying homer and finished with three RBIs in Saturday’s 7-6 come-from-behind victory. Arizona fell to 5-4 on a 10-game road trip.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (8-3, 3.23 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Zach Duke (2-3, 5.40).

Garcia continues to be brilliant within the confines of the new Busch Stadium. The lefthander is 5-1 with a major league-best 0.94 ERA there after limiting the Reds to one run and two hits in six innings on Tuesday. His WHIP is an incredible 0.84 at home and opponents are hitting only .167 against him in St. Louis. Garcia’s lone start against Arizona came on the road in 2010, when he held the Diamondbacks to one run and four hits in five innings of a 5-2 win. Duke picked up his first win in seven starts Tuesday by holding the Milwaukee Brewers to two runs and five hits in seven innings. After earning his first victory in 12 tries at Milwaukee, Duke will try for only his second-career win in Bush Stadium (1-5, 5.36 ERA in seven starts). He’ll have to contain Pujols better than he has in the past. The three-time National League MVP is hitting .415 (17-for-41) with four homers in six RBIs against him.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (48-43): St. Louis avoided a season-high fourth straight loss by rallying from a 5-1 deficit Saturday. Pujols entered 1-for-12 in three games since returning two weeks early, but had an RBI single in the first and a two-run homer in the eighth. It was his first homer since June 19, the day he suffered a fractured left wrist that was expected to sideline him at least six weeks. The Cardinals had been 0-3 since his return. Despite Pujols’ sub-par first half and subsequent injury, the Cardinals will head into the All-Star break with an offense that ranks among the top five in baseball with 429 runs.

ABOUT THE DIAMONDBACKS (49-42): Arizona’s surprising first half has netted the Diamondbacks, who will host the 82nd Midsummer Classic, with only one All-Star - Justin Upton. Starters Ian Kennedy (9-3, 3.44) and Daniel Hudson (9-5, 3.74) are deserving of the honor, but were left off the squad presumably because of the dearth of pitching in the NL. Kennedy was a candidate for the final vote contest, which was won by Philadelphia center fielder Shane Victorino. Chris Young has been playing like an All Star despite a lingering thumb injury. The center fielder is hitting .344 with a homer and eight RBIs during this 10-game road trip.

FINAL PITCH: "People always say, 'Don't you get bored?' Why would you get bored being in the same room with so many superstars? You should enjoy every opportunity you get because you don't know if it will be your last," - Pujols, on the All-Star game. He will not participate for the first time since 2002, but said he is open to being an injury replacement.