Squeeze Play: Cardinals @ Cubs

In a matchup between two 6-9 teams, the St. Louis Cardinals will look to avoid their fifth straight loss when they put right-hander Braden Looper on the hill to face veteran lefty Ted Lilly and the rival Chicago Cubs at 2:20pm ET this afternoon.

St. Louis' 6-9 start is the worst by a reigning World Series champion since the 1998 Florida Marlins opened at 1-11. The outlook is not sunny either, having gone 2-8 against the Cubs last year and losing their last 13 of 18 meetings since the start of 2005.

While the Cardinals were pretty terrible against the Cubs last season, Looper was outstanding against them, pitching 12.2 scoreless innings over 10 relief appearances. This being his first season as a starter, Loop has given up just 5 runs over 19 innings.

Lilly did well in his only career start against the Cards, allowing four hits over seven shutout innings of a 5-2 victory last June, while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays.
[MLB]