(My Sportsbook) - Veteran southpaw Mike Hampton kicks off his 15th big-league season with the team with which he had his most successful stint tonight, when the Houston Astros visit the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.

A 36-year-old Floridian, Hampton initially reached the majors in 1993 and made 13 appearances with the Seattle Mariners. He opened 1994 with Houston and stayed through 1999, winning 69 games that included a 22-4 campaign in his final year as an Astro.

Injuries have plagued Hampton for much of this decade, however. He won 15 games in one season with the New York Mets and reached double digits three others times with Colorado and Atlanta, but was out of baseball entirely with arm maladies in 2006 and 2007.

He returned to Atlanta in 2008 and made 13 starts, going 3-4 with a 4.85 earned run average over 78 innings.

Lifetime against the Cardinals, Hampton is 10-8 with a 3.71 ERA over 150 1/3 innings and 22 games.

Starting for St. Louis will be right-hander Joel Pineiro, who made the transition from relieving to starting while winning seven games in 2008.

Now 30, the Puerto Rican product made it to the majors with the Mariners in 2000 and stayed through 2006, reaching double-digit victories twice - including a 16-win campaign in 2003 and a 14-win season in 2002.

He split 2007 with the Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, going 7-5 with a 4.33 ERA in 42 appearances, including 11 starts.

Last season was Pineiro's first since 2005 as a full-time starter and saw him make 25 starts in 26 appearances and post a 5.15 ERA in 148 2/3 innings.

In his career against Houston, Pineiro is 1-3 in four games with a 3.04 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work.

St. Louis split a four-game series with Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium to open the season. In Thursday's finale, Yadier Molina and pinch hitter Brian Barden each had an RBI while veteran Chris Carpenter tossed seven innings of one-hit ball as the Cardinals edged the Pirates, 2-1.

Carpenter allowed one unearned run and fanned seven batters with just two walks to pick up the win. The former NL Cy Young Award winner is back at full strength after two injury-plagued campaigns and made just four appearances (3 starts) in 2008, going 0-1 with a 1.76 earned run average.

Ryan Ludwick and Khalil Greene scored in a two-run bottom of the seventh for the Cardinals. Dennys Reyes later retired the side in order in the ninth to collect his first save of the season.

The Astros were last in action on Wednesday, when Aramis Ramirez went 4-for-6 with a double and four RBI as the Chicago Cubs overcame a power surge by Houston to earn an 11-6 win and capture the rubber match of a season-opening three-game set at Minute Maid Park.

Houston smacked four home runs off Chicago starter Ted Lilly, who allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings but still came away with the win.

Ivan Rodriguez had a two-run blast, while Jeff Keppinger, Lance Berkman, Kazuo Matsui and Hunter Pence also went deep for the Astros.

It was a short and forgettable outing for Houston starter Brian Moehler, who was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in just 1 2/3 innings.

The Cardinals won eight of 15 meetings with the Astros in 2008, including four of the six games played between the clubs at Busch Stadium.