San Francisco @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( May 31, 2014 ) San Francisco 0, St. Louis 2

The debut was a smash, now it's time for Oscar Taveras' encore. The St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect set the bar high with a home run in his major-league debut, and he and the Cardinals hope for more highlights when they try to salvage a split of a four-game series with visiting San Francisco on Sunday. St. Louis snapped a three-game skid with a 2-0 win behind the 21-year-old Taveras' first big-league blast Saturday, sending the red-hot Giants to just their second loss in 10 games.

The teams combined for only seven hits Saturday, and the series finale provides another strong pitching matchup. Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn looks to pick up where he left off in his first career shutout Tuesday against the New York Yankees, but he has lost both of his previous starts versus the Giants. Right-hander Tim Hudson has not fared well against the Cardinals over the years, but his 1.92 ERA is the best by a Giants pitcher over his first 10 starts of the season since Dave LaPoint's 1.88 ERA through 10 outings in 1985.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Hudson (5-2, 1.92 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (6-2, 3.13)

Hudson is building a strong case for his second Comeback Player of the Year award in his first season with the Giants. The 38-year-old has recorded quality starts in eight of his nine outings and is coming off a dominant performance in which he threw seven sizzling innings in a 4-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. Hudson is 3-4 with a 5.78 ERA in 12 starts against the Cardinals and has not beaten them since 2007.

Lynn has posted three straight quality starts and the Cardinals have won all three games, with the 27-year-old picking up the victory in two of them. He walked three and gave up five hits against the Yankees on Tuesday. Lynn is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against San Francisco, most recently in 2012.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter is riding a 13-game hitting streak while Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval has hit safely in 11 straight.

2. Giants C Buster Posey (back) has missed the first three games of the series.

3. St. Louis RHP Pat Neshek has made 22 consecutive scoreless appearances out of the bullpen dating to April 9.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Giants 3