(Sports Network) - Having won two in a row over St. Louis for the first time this year, the Houston Astros will try to sweep the Cardinals for the first time since the 2006 season when the two clubs wrap up a three-game set this afternoon at Minute Maid Park.

Houston had won the first contest in each of the previous four three-game series with St. Louis only to lose the next two each time. However, after winning Friday's opener, the Astros posted an 8-5 victory on Saturday.

Geoff Blum, Hunter Pence and Ty Wigginton all homered for the Astros, who have won four in a row and are 9 1/2 games back in the wild card race. Blum ended with three RBI, while Lance Berkman had two hits, including a triple, and two walks.

The Astros big bats connected off Cardinals starter Braden Looper, who hadn't allowed a home run in 21 consecutive innings entering the contest. Rick Ankiel smacked a three-run homer, while Albert Pujols finished 4-for-4 with a two-run shot for St. Louis. The Cardinals fell to 5 1/2 games back of Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card lead after the Brewers beat Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Pujols, meanwhile, upped his season batting average to a major-league best .362. The slugger has a hit in 11 of his past 12 games, batting .532 (25- for-47) in that time.

Wandy Rodriguez will try to pitch Houston to its first sweep of the Cardinals since turning the trick at home in four games from September 21-24, 2006. The left-hander is coming off one of his best starts of the season, as he allowed just a run on three hits over seven innings of a no-decision versus Cincinnati on Tuesday, striking out a career-high 10.

Rodriguez is 0-2 over his last three starts and 7-6 with a 3.94 earned run average this season. He has allowed 11 runs versus St. Louis this year, but only three have been earned, while he is 0-2 in three starts against the Cardinals this year.

Lifetime versus St. Louis, the 29-year-old is 1-6 with a 4.56 ERA in nine games, all but one of those starts.

One day after his 30th birthday, Todd Wellemeyer takes the hill for St. Louis. The righty had a three-start win streak halted on Tuesday versus Milwaukee, allowing five runs (4 earned) on eight hits over six innings of work.

Wellemeyer is 11-5 with a 3.87 ERA this year and 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in eight games (2 starts) in his career against Houston.