Rockies-Cardinals Preview

While Albert Pujols was in an unusual slump at the plate earlier this season, being able to send Kyle Lohse to the mound every fifth day was one of the factors keeping the St. Louis Cardinals atop the NL Central.

Pujols seems to be reverting to his typical form, but unfortunately for St. Louis, so has Lohse.

The journeyman has won just twice in the past two months after his brilliant beginning, and he'll aim to bounce back from his shortest outing of the season when the Cardinals open a three-game set with the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

Pujols is having the worst season of a Hall of Fame-caliber career, but the three-time NL MVP seems to be finding his swing again. He has eight homers in his last 93 at-bats after going deep Thursday against Milwaukee, one of his four hits in a 5-2 win that brought St. Louis (63-55) within four games of the division-leading Brewers.

Pujols has a .677 slugging percentage - fourth in the majors - since the All-Star break

"I'm just trying to be consistent like I have," said Pujols, whose .500 first-half slugging percentage ranked 24th. "I think anyone would love to have those numbers I have after 100-plus games.''

Most pitchers would have loved to have the numbers Lohse (9-7, 3.45 ERA) compiled through two months that saw the Cardinals atop the division, but after opening 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA, he's regressed back to being the pitcher he's been for most of his 11-year career spanning four different teams.

The right-hander is 2-5 with a 5.22 ERA since June 1, and he lasted only three innings - allowing 10 baserunners and three runs - in a 7-4 win at Florida on Aug. 4.

He hasn't lasted longer than five innings since July 19, so the Cardinals decided to push Lohse's latest start back two days. That may not be a wise move, however, considering he's 1-4 with a 7.02 ERA in six starts on six-plus days' rest since 2010.

"In my last three starts, they borderline could have been good," Lohse told the team's official website. "But I'm not happy going five innings. I don't feel like I'm doing my job when I go five innings."

Lohse is 2-3 with a 3.80 ERA in eight starts versus the Rockies (55-64), who he held to two runs over six innings May 29 in a 4-3 victory at Coors Field.

Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki, however, are 15 for 35 against Lohse.

Neither of those middle-of-the-order hitters were in manager Jim Tracy's lineup Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati, and Colorado's offense suffered because of it. The Rockies totaled five hits in a 2-1 loss that gave the Reds a split of a four-game series.

Tulowitzki requested the day off because his legs were feeling heavy, then saw his eight-game hitting streak disappear when he lined out as a pinch hitter to end the game.

Aaron Cook (2-6, 5.05) gets the ball for the Rockies looking to build off a solid performance in which he didn't get a run of support for the second straight start. The right-handed sinkerballer held Washington to two runs and four hits over 6 2-3 innings Sunday, but left without a decision in a 3-2 loss.

"Three out of his last four starts have been very Aaron Cook-like," Tracy said of his starter, who is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in the new Busch Stadium.

Pujols is 4 for 14 against Cook, while Matt Holliday is 4 for 9 with a homer. It's unclear, though, if Holliday will return Friday after missing the past two games with a lower back injury.