(Best E Casino) - A surprise ace meets an established star on the mound today, when the St. Louis Cardinals wrap up a three-game weekend series with the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

Right-hander Kyle Lohse, who was 9-12 with two teams last season and signed a low-budget contract with the Cardinals in the winter, has won nine straight decisions and is unbeaten in 14 starts since dropping a 9-3 verdict at Colorado on May 8.

He faces New York lefty Johan Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Minnesota Twins in the American League. Santana is barely above .500 in his first season in the NL and has just one win in his last nine starts.

Lohse defeated the Mets on June 30 in St. Louis, scattering just five hits and allowing an unearned run in seven innings of a 7-1 triumph. He is 1-1 in five career meetings with the Mets with a 4.28 earned run average in 27 1/3 innings.

The 29-year-old Californian has allowed three or fewer earned runs in five straight starts, stretching back to late June.

The Cardinals enter the game third in the NL's Central Division, trailing the first-place tandem of Milwaukee and the Chicago Cubs by three games.

For the Mets, Santana tries to maintain their first-place standing.

New York lost a game off its lead in the NL East after dropping Saturday's match with the Cardinals in 14 innings.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins each won and now trail by just a game apiece.

Santana, who has never faced the Cardinals, has won just once since the beginning of June and the Mets are only 2-7 in those nine starts.

He allowed eight hits and two runs in eight innings against the Phillies on July 22, getting a no-decision in the Mets' 8-6 loss.

Santana is 4-3 in 10 home games in 2008 with a 2.59 ERA.

On Saturday, Albert Pujols' two-run homer in the top of the 14th inning propelled the Cardinals to a 10-8 win over New York.

Pujols finished with five hits and three runs batted in, while Skip Schumaker notched a career-high six hits for the Cardinals, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Brad Thompson (3-2) threw the final two innings, and was perfect over that span, to take the win.

Carlos Delgado homered twice to move into sole possession of 32nd place on the all-time home run list with 453, just one ahead of Carl Yastrzemski.

Aaron Heilman (1-4) didn't allow a run over two innings of relief, but gave up Pujols' homer in a third frame and took the loss. The Mets saw their three- game win streak snapped, and their NL East lead over Philadelphia and Florida trimmed to one game.

In the top of the 14th, Schumaker singled with one out before Heilman struck out Ryan Ludwick. The Mets' reliever, though, left a fastball up to Pujols, who slammed it over the left field fence for a two-run Cardinals lead.

Thompson returned to the mound in the bottom half and retired the first three batters of New York's lineup in order, sealing the win.