St. Louis @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2011 ) St. Louis 4, Philadelphia 2

THE STORY: Tony La Russa is leaving no stone unturned in an attempt to get the St. Louis Cardinals into the playoffs. Adron Chambers drove in the go-ahead run with his first major league hit in the 11th inning on Friday as St. Louis posted its eighth win in nine outings with a 4-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cardinals remained 5 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers but pulled to within 3 1/2 of the wild-card leading Atlanta Braves. For its part, Philadelphia's magic number rests at one to collect its fifth consecutive NL East title. A win on Saturday against the Cardinals or a Braves' loss to the New York Mets would do the trick.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSMW (St. Louis), CSN (Philadelphia)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (12-8, 4.61 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Roy Oswalt (7-9, 3.88 ERA).

Westbrook collected his third win in four decisions by handcuffing the Atlanta Braves for 5 1/3 innings on Sunday. The 33-year-old Westbrook yielded just two earned runs in that contest, as he's done in four of his last five outings. Westbrook won his lone career decision against the Phillies on May 16, when he permitted just one run over seven innings in an eventual 3-1 win.

Oswalt struggled in his last outing on Monday, allowing five runs in seven innings en route to a 5-1 loss to his former club, the Houston Astros. The 34-year-old Mississippi native has now split six decisions since returning from a lengthy stay on the disabled list. Ironically, that trip to the DL was needed after Oswalt faced the Cardinals on June 23. He left after two innings with tightness in his lower back.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (82-68): Albert Pujols collected four singles on Friday and is now hitting .301 on the season. The batting average is noteworthy, considering it is the first time this season that he has been above .300. Pujols has reached safely in 32 consecutive games and faces a familiar adversary in Oswalt. The slugger is 26-for-83 (.313) with five homers in his career versus Oswalt. Yadier Molina continues to torch the Phillies. His eighth-inning homer gave St. Louis a 2-1 advantage and he is 10-for-22 in six meetings this season vs. Philadelphia. With Matt Holliday sidelined with an inflamed tendon in his right middle finger, Allen Craig took his place in the outfield and went 0-for-4 at the plate.

ABOUT THE PHILLIES (97-52): With Philadelphia comfortably ahead in the standings, manager Charlie Manuel is doing his best to rest some of his studs. Ryan Howard was originally given the night off on Friday to rest his ailing ankle. Well, his ankle sure looked fine when he legged out a pinch-hit, two-out double in the ninth inning. Howard immediately was lifted for pinch-runner Michael Martinez, who tied the game following Carlos Ruiz's double. With Triple-A Lehigh Valley eliminated from the postseason, the Phillies recalled outfielder Domonic Brown. The prized prospect struggled with the big-league club this season, but he could still be used for depth in the postseason.

FINAL PITCH: "We’re going to clinch. I like our position. Nobody’s scared. We’re going to do it.” – Manuel.