St. Louis ? Entering the season, the St. Louis Cardinals’ weakness appeared to be an unsung rotation.

Instead, a modest starting five nearly has kept pace with more celebrated staffs in Chicago and Houston, throwing up more than its share of zeros. In the team’s just-completed six-game homestand, the starters combined for a 1.96 ERA and four victories, pitching seven or more innings in five of the games.

“I’m a very optimistic, very positive guy,” manager Tony La Russa said. “I think they’ve pitched like we expected them to pitch, which is good and getting better.”

The members of the rotation totaled only 42 victories last year. Woody Williams won a career-best 18 games last year, and innings-eater Jeff Suppan won a career-best 13.

But former 20-game winner Matt Morris slumped to 11, Jason Marquis spent half of the season in the Braves’ minor-league system and Chris Carpenter missed the entire year because of a second shoulder operation that also kept him out of most of the 2002 season.

It’s not quite a bargain basement five, considering Morris and Williams combined make about $20 million. But the other three were obtained with the budget in mind.

Together, they’ve piled up 23 quality starts of six or more innings, second best in the major leagues to the Cubs’ 25. It’s helped the Cardinals, widely picked to finish third in the NL Central, stay within striking distance in the early going.

The World Series champion Florida Marlins managed only six runs in a three-game weekend series, losing two of three.

“It’s a pretty good rotation, and with their offense they’ll score some runs and give the staff some breathing room,” Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. “I like them.”

The most impressive pitchers thus far have been Marquis, who fell out of favor in Atlanta and came to St. Louis in the J.D. Drew trade, and the rebuilt Carpenter.

Marquis (2-3, 3.44) easily could have four or five victories, given his staff-low ERA and electric stuff. Carpenter (4-1, 3.86) has allowed two runs in 151/3 innings in winning his last two starts.

Suppan (3-4, 4.29) has been as advertised, averaging six innings per outing despite an off-game his last time out. Suppan’s 31/3-inning start, during which he threw 84 pitches, was the only one of the homestand that taxed the bullpen at all.