New York @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2013 ) St. Louis 0, NY Yankees 4

St. Louis and New York are playing a regular-season series for only the third time in the history of the storied franchises when the Cardinals host the Yankees in a three-game set beginning Monday. The teams last met in 2005, when St. Louis hosted New York and won two of three games. The Cardinals have won nine of their last 11 contests, while the Yankees have won seven of their last 11.

The franchises have met in the World Series on five occasions, with St. Louis winning three times – including the most-recent matchup in 1964. Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who is in the midst of his farewell tour, went 5-for-13 against the Cardinals in the series in 2005. Jeter had his best hitting performance of the season in Sunday’s 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox, going 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.

TV: 4:15 p.m. ET, ESPN, YES (New York), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Chase Whitley (0-0, 1.00 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (3-3, 2.54)

Whitley has allowed one run over nine innings in his first two major-league starts. He allowed two hits in 4 2/3 scoreless frames against the New York Mets in his debut on May 15 and gave up one run and six hits in 4 1/3 innings versus the Chicago Cubs in his last turn. Whitley is filling the rotation spot of the injured CC Sabathia (knee).

Wacha has just one victory in his last seven starts despite allowing three or fewer runs in each turn. He settled for a no-decision against Arizona in his last outing despite yielding only two hits in six scoreless innings as he was forced out of the game when a foul ball by teammate Matt Adams hit him in the elbow as he sat in the dugout. Wacha has struck out 66 batters in 60 1/3 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. In the other regular-season matchup, the Yankees swept three games from the visiting Cardinals in 2003.

2. Jeter, who recorded his first four-hit performance since 2012 on Sunday, is 8-for-26 with three doubles in six career games against St. Louis.

3. St. Louis 2B Matt Carpenter went 6-for-13 in a three-game series against Cincinnati and is 12-for-29 during his seven-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Cardinals 4