Atlanta @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( May 17, 2014 ) Atlanta 1, St. Louis 4

Jaime Garcia will miss an anniversary by 24 hours but he still hopes to make it a special occasion when he returns to the mound Sunday for his first start in 366 days. Garcia, who has been on the shelf since undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and the St. Louis Cardinals look to complete a series sweep against the visiting Atlanta Braves. Garcia is a two-time 13-game winner for St. Louis, which is seeking a season-high fifth straight victory.

Playing on the road has been tantamount to one continuous speed bump for the Braves, who have dropped eight of their last nine away from home while scoring only 25 runs and sporting a team batting average of .200 in that span. Offense has not been the only culprit for Atlanta, which has seen its pitching staff post a collective 5.26 ERA in that nine-game stretch. The Braves have been held to three runs or fewer in 11 of their last 14 games and are 5-12 in their last 17 overall.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, FSN South (Atlanta), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Gavin Floyd (0-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (2013: 7-7, 3.92)

Floyd missed much of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery and will be making his third start of the season. He turned in an outstanding effort against the Cardinals in Atlanta on May 6, giving up one run over seven innings, before taking the loss last time out when he permitted four runs (three earned) in 6 1/3 innings against San Francisco. Floyd is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in three career starts versus the Cardinals.

Garcia battled shoulder injuries throughout 2012, which kept him off the team's postseason roster, and recurring pain last season finally forced him to go under the knife after back-to-back rocky outings in mid-May. Garcia went 26-15 with three shutouts in his first two full seasons (2010-11) with St. Louis and is 12-9 since. He has made four career starts versus the Braves, logging a 2-0 record and 3.65 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals C Yadier Molina is 10-for-21 with five RBIs during a six-game hitting streak.

2. Braves 3B Chris Johnson is 5-for-14 with a homer and six RBIs versus Garcia.

3. St. Louis had four bunt hits in Saturday's win, the most for any team since Detroit in September 2003.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Braves 3