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CIN@STL: Westbrook shuts down the Big Red Machine

For only the fourth time in his nine-year Major League career, Jake Westbrook will pitch in his home state of Georgia.

Westbrook, who grew up in Athens -- about 90 minutes away from Atlanta -- will get the start in Saturday's game against the Braves and Brandon Beachy.

"I enjoy it," Westbrook said of pitching in Atlanta. "It's nice to be able to have people who don't really normally get a chance to see me pitch live be able to come out and get tickets and watch me pitch. It's fun. I enjoy it."

Westbrook said he didn't plan on making the drive to Athens following Friday's win, but he did plan on going home after his start Saturday afternoon. The 33-year-old right-hander is coming off his best outing of the year as he prepares to make his fifth start.

On Sunday against the Reds, Westbrook threw six shutout innings and allowed only three hits. He's hopeful that outing is a sign of things to come.

"I felt good about it," Westbrook said. "I felt really strong about it. I felt comfortable out there, a lot more locked in. I made myself focus a lot more and really, really concentrate from pitch to pitch."

Like Westbrook, Beachy also is coming off a solid outing, taking a no-decision in his last start against San Francisco. Beachy held the reigning World Series champions to two runs on three hits in six innings.

Cardinals: Theriot returns
Ryan Theriot, who hadn't had an at-bat since Sunday because of right rib-cage discomfort, was back in the starting lineup Friday and went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Braves: Steady Gonzalez
Shortstop Alex Gonzalez posted another errorless game Friday and now has made only one error this season. Entering Friday, Gonzalez led all National League shortstops (minimum 90 total chances) with a .992 fielding percentage, 20 double plays turned and ranked third with 83 assists.

Worth noting
Friday's game was the first meeting of the season between the Cardinals and Braves. St. Louis won the season series last year, 6-2. ... Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to nine games. ... Westbrook is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two career starts against the Braves.

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