SAN DIEGO -- One is surging and one is slumping, but both of the Cardinals' usual middle infielders are likely to get a night off on Wednesday.

Manager Tony La Russa didn't fully commit to such a decision, but he sounded as though he was leaning toward a breather for Adam Kennedy and Cesar Izturis in the Redbirds' series finale in San Diego. Aaron Miles and Brendan Ryan would step in.

Kennedy has fallen off sharply after hitting for a high batting average in April. Padres starter Chris Young has been extremely tough on right-handed hitters while allowing a great deal of damage to lefties, but with Kennedy slumping, Wednesday might still be a good time for a night off.

"If Kennedy had a great day today, I might play him," La Russa said on Tuesday afternoon. "But I'll probably play a combination of Ryan and Miles."

Meanwhile, at shortstop, Izturis is rolling, but Ryan is hot as well, and needs his chances to play. And don't think La Russa hasn't noticed that the Cardinals are 8-5 in games Ryan starts.

Wednesday's game will mark the end of a stretch of 20 games without a day off for the Cardinals. They get a break on Thursday before playing three games at Dodger Stadium over the weekend.

Pitching matchup
STL: RHP Braden Looper (5-3, 4.25 ERA)
Looper made it a priority for 2008 to be able to limit the damage in games where he's not all that sharp. And to his credit, he's been able to do that this year. However, he's had a few too many of those games recently. What the Cardinals would like to see now are a few more of those games where Looper is sharp, getting quick outs and ground balls.

SD: RHP Chris Young (4-3, 4.18 ERA)
Young was staked to a 4-0 lead in the second inning of his last start against the Mariners before nearly giving it all back, as he struggled with keeping his slider down in the strike zone. Once he did, Young was hard to hit, as he set down 12 of the last 14 hitters he faced in winning for the fourth time this season. The key wasn't so much his fastball, which had good life through the strike zone, but his ability to harness and get better tilt on his slider -- a pitch that gave him fits in that second inning, but one that he relied on later.

Tidbits
Looper has hit only five doubles in his big league career, but one of them came off Young. ... Looper has gone three straight starts without allowing a home run. ... Ryan is 8-for-23 (.348) with four runs scored in his last five starts. ... Troy Glaus has reached base by hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in each of his past 10 games, and in 15 straight starts.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• FSN

On radio
• KTRS 550

Up next
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 3-2, 3.25) at Dodgers (Derek Lowe, 2-4, 5.34), 9:40 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Cardinals (Kyle Lohse, 3-2, 4.71) at Dodgers (Brad Penny, 5-4, 5.34), 9:10 p.m. CT