As the Cardinals open a three-game series in Houston, it’s interesting to note the teamwork of Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick. With little more than a month to go in the regular season, Pujols (.636) and Ludwick (.610) are running first and second in MLB in slugging percentage. Which obviously means they’re also 1-2 in the National League in slugging.

In MLB history, it’s rare for teammates to claim the top two spots on the slugging leaderboard.

In fact, only two sets of teammates have ever done it.

* 1927 Yankees, Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig.

* 1928 Yankees, Ruth & Gehrig.

* 1931 Yankees, Ruth & Gehrig.

* 1976 Reds, Joe Morgan & George Foster.

Pujols and Ludwick certainly have a shot, but Astros first baseman Lance Berkman is a threat. His slugging percentage for the season is .600, only 10 points behind Ludwick … though I should also point out that Berkman’s power has dropped some over the last couple of months. Since June 27 he has five homers and a .444 SLG.

Others who could break up the Pujols-Ludwick order of finish are the Brewers’ Ryan Braun (.592), the Rangers’ Milton Bradley (.588), breakout White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin (.582), the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez (.581) and the Rockies’ Matt Holliday (.580).

Keep an eye on Braun; earlier this week his slugging pct. climbed to .596, only a few ticks away from Ludwick. Braun is probably the biggest contender to move into the second spot, ahead of Ludwick. And what about Ludwick? Well, he’s on the streaky side. At the end of July, his slugging percentage was .576. He’s raised it in August, but will need a strong closing month to take the silver medal in slugging.

In Cardinals’ history, teammates have finished 1-2 in National League slugging only twice:

* 1921,  Rogers Hornsby & Austin McHenry.

* 1937,  Joe Medwick & Johnny Mize.

Pujols has a terrific chance to win the NL slugging title; he did so previously in 2006. So this would be two for Mang. But Musial and Hornsby each lead the NL in slugging six times, and Mize did it three times.

Here’s a preview of the Cardinals-Astros Series:

– Strange season in Houston. The Astros were drifting and fading at nine games under .500 in the final week of July. But they’ve gone 22-11 since July 25. Over that time, only the Cubs and Rays have a higher winning percentage in MLB. The hot spell has cooled; the Astros are 6-7 over their last 13. Some of that undoubtedly has to do with the season-ending loss of LF Carlos Lee (28 homers, 100 RBIs) to a broken finger.  But for the Astros to have a winning record (68-66) at this point is probably a nice surprise for Houston fans.

– During this 22-11 run, the Astros have powered up with 48 homers in 33 games, the most in the NL. And their average of 5.03 runs per game since July 25 is fourth-highest in the NL over that stretch.

– The hottest Astro is 3B Ty Wiggington; during the team’s 22-11 streak he’s batting .357 with 11 homers and 25 RBIs and has a .776 SLG.

– The Astros have gone 5-1 in Randy Wolf’s six starts since he came over from San Diego. Wolf hasn’t been bad (except in his last two starts, allowing 14 ER in 10 IP). But the Astros have scored at a rate of 7.79 runs per nine innings in Wolf’s starts.  

– The Cardinals won’t see Astro ace Roy Oswalt in this series, but he’s really turned his season around. Back on May 22, Oswalt had a very uncharacteristic ERA of 5.61. But he’s 8-5 with a 3.02 ERA since May 29, and has a 1.95 ERA in his last five starts.

– Wandy Rodriguez has a 3.53 ERA at home, and a 4.42 ERA on the road … which defies the offense-driven atmosphere at Minute Maid Park. The Cardinals will face him Sunday.

– Astros closer Jose Valverde is sizzling.  Since July 25, he’s 10 for 10 in save opps, has allowed one earned run, and has 16 Ks in 14 IP.  His ERA over that time is 0.64. And the BA against him is .103. Valverde (with 35) is second in the NL in saves, and fifth in save percentage.

– After a fast start, big-name, big-dollar shortstop Miguel Tejada has really struggled. 

In 321 ABs since May 25, here are his numbers: .

.249 BA  

.282 OBP 

.355 SLG

5  HR,  25 RBIs

20 double plays (hit into)

10 for 74 with runners in scoring position (.135).

– OF Hunter Pence still hits some homers in his second MLB season. But compared to his rookie year in 2007, Pence’s batting average (.258) is down 64 points. His OBP (.300) is down 60 points. His SLG (.438) is down 101 points. One reason: Pence batted an overly inflated .377 last season on balls that he put in play. That’s unusually high, and a lot of luck is involved in a stat like that. This year his BA / BIP is a much more realistic .289.  

– After last season the Astros traded closer Brad Lidge to Philadelphia for OF Michael Bourn. Lidge has been the league’s top closer in Philly this season. Bourn is having a dreadful season, batting .222 with a .280 OBP and a .298 SLG and 95 Ks in 392 ABs. He steals some bases, but that’s about it. Bourn is last in the NL in combined OBP and SLG among qualifying players. He’s hitting .143 this month.

– According to STATS, the Cardinals are batting only .222 against HOU this season, and that’s their lowest BA against any opponent.

– The Astros have made only five errors this month.

– If the Astros win two games in this series, they’ll reach 20 wins in August for only the third time in franchise history.

– Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse had a 3.39 ERA before the All-Star break, and his ERA after the All-Star break is 5.29. But Lohse’s run support has dropped dramatically. It was 5.36 runs per game before the break and is 3.71 runs after.

–  According to STATS, Cardinals utility man Felipe Lopez has the largest home-road batting average differential in MLB this season. Lopez is batting .189 at home and .304 on the road.

Thanks for reading …

-B