St. Louis @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 3, 2014 ) Kansas City 8, St. Louis 7

The Kansas City Royals haven't won a season series against the St. Louis Cardinals since 2010, but they can change that with a third straight triumph over their intrastate rivals on Wednesday. The Royals claimed the first two games of the series in St. Louis, and now the scene shifts to Kansas City, where the Royals have lost three straight and five of six. Kansas City is 6-1 in interleague play and has won six straight against the National League.

The Cardinals have the right man on the mound to stop their three-game skid, as ace Adam Wainwright looks to become the first nine-game winner in the NL. St. Louis broke out of an offensive slump with 10 hits on Tuesday but squandered a four-run lead in an 8-7 defeat. The Royals, meanwhile, are 24-4 when they score more than three runs.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN (Kansas City)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (8-3, 2.32 ERA) vs. Royals LH Jason Vargas (5-2, 3.39)

Wainwright has recorded nine quality starts in 12 outings this season but was roughed up his last time out. He allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings of a loss to San Francisco after striking out 21 over 17 scoreless frames in his previous two starts. Wainwright is 4-1 with a 3.21 ERA in nine games (six starts) versus the Royals, winning three straight decisions dating to 2007.

Vargas has turned in two straight strong starts following a clunker on May 19 against the Chicago White Sox. He has gone at least six innings and allowed just one run in each of his last two outings and has piled up six or more strikeouts in five straight starts. Vargas is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA in three games (two starts) against the Cardinals but has not faced them since 2010.

WALK-OFFS

1. Royals LF Alex Gordon has homered in back-to-back games for the first time since a career-best streak of three straight contests from May 7-9, 2013.

2. Cardinals C Yadier Molina is 0-for-16 over his last five games and 2-for-26 over his last eight contests.

3. Kansas City leads the American League with 48 stolen bases but has not attempted a steal in the first two games against Molina, who has thwarted a major league-best 48.1 percent of steal attempts.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Royals 1