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COL@SD: Suppan pitches five innings of one-run ball

Jeff Suppan was a big part of the Cardinals' World Series championship back in 2006, and Wednesday he'll be back at Busch Stadium, albeit in the other dugout.

Suppan, now pitching for the Padres, will face his old team Wednesday as part of his comeback season. After not pitching at all last season, Suppan is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts.

Prior to his return, the Cardinals were the last team Suppan pitched for, in 2010. He started 13 games for the Cardinals that season, going 3-6 with a 3.84 ERA.

Suppan has faced the Cardinals plenty of times as an opponent since he captured that World Series in 2006. He pitched three and a half seasons with NL Central rival Milwaukee before being acquired midseason by St. Louis in 2010.

Still, Suppan says it's always nice to return to history-rich St. Louis.

"I always loved playing here," Suppan said. "These are some of the greatest fans in baseball. It's a family tradition here. Grandfathers take their grandsons and pass the traditions down. It's a fun place to play, and it makes you feel good to be part of a rich tradition."

In his career versus the Cardinals, Suppan is 7-4 with a 3.92 ERA in 17 games. In St. Louis, he has a 26-18 career record in 68 games.

Opposing Suppan will be the current Cardinals wins leader Lance Lynn, who won his first six starts of the season, but has gone 0-1 over his last two. He hadn't allowed more than two runs in any of his first six outings, but he's given up seven runs over his last two starts.

Padres: Don't run on Nick
Entering play Tuesday, catcher Nick Hundley led all Major League backstops by throwing out 19 would-be base stealers. His 41.3 caught-stealing percentage ranked third in the Majors.

• The Padres have found themselves a closer in Dale Thayer. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted all five of his save opportunities this season. Thayer has yet to allow a run, and has struck out 10 batters in 10 innings pitched.

Cardinals: Cold streak for Mr. Freese
Third baseman David Freese was not in the starting lineup for the series' first two games, as manager Mike Matheny has been sitting the reigning World Series MVP. Freese is just 6-for-42 over his last 12 games.

Matheny said that a combination of mental and physical aspects have contributed to the slump.

"I think they go hand-in-hand," Matheny said. "Physically, you start getting beat up, your mechanics start to fall apart a little bit and your confidence goes. It's just a spiral. So sometimes you just need to throw a stop to it and gather yourself."

Worth noting
• Matt Holliday has had Suppan's number over the course of their careers. Holliday is 8-for-14 against the righty with two doubles, three home runs, six RBIs and four walks.

• Matheny and Suppan were teammates on the 2004 Cardinals team that won the National League pennant before losing to the Red Sox -- Suppan's original Major League team in 1995 -- in the World Series.

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