St. Louis @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( May 14, 2016 ) St. Louis 3, LA Dodgers 5

Despite a rocky start to the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have to be pleased with the way they have played against the other defending division champions during the last nine games. The Dodgers eye their fourth straight victory at home Sunday when they seek their first three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in almost four years.

Los Angeles briefly fell below .500 for the first time since early July 2013 with a loss in Toronto last weekend, but took the last two games from last year's American League East winner before splitting a four-game home set with the NL East reigning champion New York Mets. The Dodgers, who last swept the Cardinals on May 18-20, 2012, already have matched their win total from seven meetings with the reigning NL Central champ last season and have tallied 13 runs in the series — equaling their best mark in a home series this season. St. Louis hasn't helped its cause by committing five of its league-worst 34 errors this weekend, and has totaled seven runs versus the Dodgers after averaging 8.3 in a three-game sweep of the Angels earlier in the week. Randal Grichuk had two of his team's five hits in Saturday's 5-3 setback and appears to be getting comfortable at the plate, batting .321 over his last eight games after hitting .182 through his first 27 outings.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Mike Leake (1-3, 5.10 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Alex Wood (1-3, 4.58)
Leake, who signed a five-year, $80 million contract to leave Cincinnati in the offseason, ended a season-long string of mediocrity Tuesday, yielding a run on six hits across a season-high eight innings to notch his first win in seven tries as a Cardinal. Opponents had scored at least four runs in each of the San Diego native's first six outings, including five runs in two of his previous three. Leake posted a 1.13 ERA while splitting a pair of decisions versus the Dodgers in 2015 and is 3-4, 4.03 in eight appearances (seven starts) against them.
Wood's rollercoaster season experienced another high in Tuesday's no-decision versus the New York Mets, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while tying a season high with nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old has allowed only one earned run in each of his three home outings, but he has been tagged for a total of 17 earned runs over his other four. Wood's only career appearance came in a relief as a member of the Atlanta Braves against the Cardinals nearly two years ago, giving up a run in 1 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. After opening 4-for-46 at Dodger Stadium to begin this season, Los Angeles 1B Adrian Gonzalez is 8-for-20 with three multi-hit efforts during a five-game home hitting streak.
2. The Cardinals have scored 27 ninth-innings runs in 2016 after accounting for four such runs all of last season.
3. Dodgers SS Corey Seager is 13-for-31 with two homers and five RBIs over his last eight contests.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 4, Cardinals 2