New York @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 17, 2014 ) NY Mets 2, St. Louis 5

The St. Louis Cardinals vie for their second consecutive series sweep when they host the reeling New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon. Jon Jay ripped a go-ahead RBI triple and the Cardinals scored four runs with two outs en route to a 5-2 triumph on Tuesday. The victory was St. Louis' season-high fifth in a row to push it a campaign-best seven games above .500.

While the Cardinals are flying high, New York is tripping over itself after dropping 11 of 14 to fall a season-worst nine games under .500. The downward spiral has sent the Mets careening into last place in the National League East - albeit only six games behind front-running Washington. New York has routinely come up short in the Gateway City, posting a 13-30 mark in St. Louis since 2001.

TV: 1:45 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Bartolo Colon (6-5, 4.15 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (7-4, 3.16)

Colon is 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his last five starts after yielding two runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings in a 6-2 win over San Diego on Friday. The 41-year-old Dominican improved to 3-0 in his career against St. Louis following a scintillating performance on April 24. Colon permitted one run on four hits and struck out eight without walking a batter in seven innings en route to a 4-1 triumph.

Lynn snapped a modest two-game skid with a gem, scattering two hits and striking out eight in as many innings en route to a 1-0 victory against the Nationals on Friday. The 27-year-old was outperformed by Colon and fell to 1-2 versus the Mets on April 24 despite striking out a season-high nine over 6 1/3 innings. Lynn has limited New York to a .192 batting average in five career appearances (three starts).

WALK-OFFS

1. New York 2B Daniel Murphy is 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs in his career versus Lynn.

2. Jay has collected six hits in his last four games and has hit safely in 11 of 12 contests.

3. Mets 3B David Wright homered to lead off the fourth inning and added a double after entering Tuesday's tilt mired in a 3-for-44 slump.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Mets 2