(Sports Network) - It has been over a month since the Florida Marlins won back-to-back games. It's been over five years since they posted consecutive wins over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Marlins start up a three-game set with the playoff-hopeful Cardinals tonight at Busch Stadium.

Florida hasn't won consecutive games since July 30-31, going 11-17 in August. The Marlins get their third chance in six games to post back-to-back victories, as they have won three of five after defeating Atlanta, 5-3, on Wednesday.

Cody Ross' run-scoring single in the seventh inning was the difference, while Jeremy Hermida had two hits and an RBI and Hanley Ramirez homered for Florida. Ramirez's long ball was his 29th of the year and first since August 23, a span of nine games between homers.

Florida's poor play in August has put a big damper on its playoff chances, as the club finds itself eight games back of the National League East-leading New York Mets with 22 games left to play.

The Marlins have also struggled against the Cardinals over the past few years. They lost three of four when the clubs met in Miami from August 11-14 and are just 4-12 against St. Louis over the past three seasons. Florida hasn't defeated the Cardinals twice in a row in the same season since August 5-6, 2003.

Ricky Nolasco will try to change that, as he is 2-0 with a 2.22 earned run average over his last four starts. He has fanned 34 batters in that span, while walking just three.

The right-hander faced the Mets on Saturday and did not factor into the decision of that contest after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings, walking one while striking out eight.

Nolasco is 13-7 with a 3.65 ERA this year and 0-1 with a 5.84 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance in his career versus the Cardinals. He got a no-decision against them on August 13, yielding two runs on 10 hits over six innings.

Braden Looper got the win for the Cardinals on that day with seven innings of two-run ball -- with just one of those runs earned -- and starts tonight for St. Louis. He is 12-11 with a 4.27 ERA on the season, but is coming off a horrid outing versus Houston.

The right-hander was tagged for eight runs on 11 hits on Saturday versus the Astros, marking the first time in eight starts he allowed more than three runs in an outing.

Looper is 4-2 with a 4.67 ERA and four saves in 19 games (3 starts) in his career versus Florida.

St. Louis comes into this game five back of Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card, having lost five of six. The Cardinals lost the rubber match of a three-game set with Arizona on Wednesday by a 4-3 margin after failing to hold a three- run lead.

Troy Glaus hit a two-run homer and Albert Pujols went 1-for-4 to drop his average to a still-MLB best .360. Pujols has a hit in 14 of his last 16 games, going 29-for-61 (.475) in that span with nine multi-hit games.

Pujols is 2-for-7 with a homer in his career against Nolasco, and is a .271 lifetime hitter against Florida with eight homers and 22 RBI in 46 games.