St. Louis @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 27, 2013 ) Washington 1, St. Louis 10

The Washington Nationals have dropped six of their last nine games and were shut out on Sunday at New York. A return home and a chance at some revenge in the opener of a three-game series with the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Monday should shake them back into focus. The Nationals held a 7-5 lead over the Cardinals in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series at home last October before allowing four runs in the ninth.

Washington, which led 6-0 at one point in that deciding game, has been sitting on that setback since Oct. 12 and would like to get its season back on track at the expense of St. Louis. The Cardinals have some bullpen issues to sort out after Mitchell Boggs allowed four runs while only retiring one batter in a 7-3 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday. Boggs has blown two of his four save opportunities and watched his ERA balloon to 12.46 with Sunday’s struggles. St. Louis has alternated wins and losses over its last seven games and dropped to 3-3 on its current nine-game road trip.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Midwest (St. Louis), Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (Washington)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Shelby Miller (2-1, 1.96 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Dan Haren (1-2, 8.10)

Miller suffered his first major-league loss at Pittsburgh last week but has yet to allow more than two runs in any of his three starts. The 22-year-old right-hander has notched 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 total innings over three starts while issuing five walks. Miller came out of the bullpen for St. Louis in the NLCS against San Francisco last October but did not make an appearance against Washington.

Haren began his career in the St. Louis organization before being shipped off to Oakland in the trade that brought Mark Mulder to the Cardinals before the 2005 season. Haren signed with Washington last winter and has been roughed up in three straight appearances. The best of his three starts in 2013 was the lone one that came at home April 11, when he limited the Chicago White Sox to three runs and 10 hits in five innings to pick up a win. He is 4-0 with a 3.65 ERA in five career starts against St. Louis.

WALK-OFFS

1. Nationals top prospect Anthony Rendon made his major-league debut on Sunday and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts and an error at third base.

2. Cardinals slugger Matt Adams went 2-for-3 on Sunday and is batting .542. He has recorded multiple hits in five of his six starts.

3. Washington SS Ian Desmond has committed seven errors in 18 games this season.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Nationals 4