Cincinnati @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 30, 2013 ) Cincinnati 1, St. Louis 2

St. Louis' Lance Lynn lost some 40 pounds during the off-season, but struggled to coordinate his delivery with his new physique over the first three starts. With body and mind together as one, Lynn will put his four-start winning streak on the line when the Cardinals host the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday in the rubber match of their three-game set. Lynn's most effective start among his first three outings was a 5-1 victory against Cincinnati on April 9 when he struck out 10 in six innings.

Lynn will have a tough act to follow as Jaime Garcia pitched eight solid innings Tuesday when St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory. The Cardinals have scored six runs in their last four games and while Matt Holliday is 3-for-16 during that span, his two-run homer was the difference Tuesday. The Reds' Homer Bailey, who lost 10-0 in St. Louis on April 10, will try to improve on his 3-8 record against the Cardinals.

TV: 1:45 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Ohio (Cincinnati), Fox Sports Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Homer Bailey (1-2, 2.81 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (4-0, 3.10)

Bailey has pitched well over his last three starts since his shellacking in St. Louis (seven runs, nine hits in five innings). Bailey, who turns 27 on Friday, has allowed three runs while striking out 24 in his last 21 innings, but is 0-1 to show for it after losing 1-0 at Washington on Friday. The La Grange, Texas, native last defeated St. Louis four starts ago - a 4-2 victory July 15. David Freese, Yadier Molina and Holliday have each homered twice against Bailey in a combined 63 at-bats.

Lynn, who has yielded one run in his last 16 innings, defeated Pittsburgh for the second time this season in his last start Friday. He allowed one run and two hits and seven innings while striking out nine. "I thought I had a pretty good season last year," said Lynn, who was 18-7 in 2012. "I was just trying to build off of that. That's where we're at - just trying to improve every time out. I'm doing that thus far." Lynn's WHIP is 1.14 while opponents are hitting .194 against him.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis scored one run in its previous 23 innings prior to Holliday's homer in the sixth Tuesday.

2. Cincinnati CF Shin-Soo Choo, who is hitting .337, has reached base in 26 of the 27 games he has played.

3. Lynn has won nine straight regular-season decisions - a major-league high - dating to Sept. 9.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Reds 2