San Diego @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2013 ) San Diego 5, St. Louis 3

When the St. Louis Cardinals' Chris Carpenter could not start the season with what appeared to be career-threatening neck and shoulder injuries, Adam Wainwright became the ace of the staff. The 31-year-old right-hander has responded and tries for his National League-leading 13th victory when St. Louis hosts the San Diego Padres in the rubber match of their three-game series Sunday. With Carpenter making his second rehab start Saturday, the Cardinals may have a strong 1-2 punch down the stretch.

St. Louis maintained its two-game lead over slumping Pittsburgh in the National League Central despite a 5-3 loss to San Diego on Saturday. The Cardinals, however, saw their lead over third-place Cincinnati shrink to four games. San Diego, which won for only the fifth time in 24 contests, received four strong innings from the bullpen Saturday to lower its ERA to 3.38 - sixth in the NL and far better than its NL-worst 4.26 ERA overall.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, FSN (San Diego), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Eric Stults (8-7, 3.40 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (12-5, 2.45)

While the Padres struggled for most of the first half, Stults has been reliable while recording eight quality starts in his last 10 outings - including two complete games. The 33-year-old won his last two starts, allowing one run in each contest while yielding nine hits and striking out 10 in 15 innings. Stults, who is 3-6 with a 4.31 ERA in 11 road starts this season, defeated the Cardinals last September in his only appearance against them, yielding three runs in 5 1/3 frames.

Wainwright did not pitch in the All-Star Game after yielding four runs and eight hits in six innings while receiving a no-decision in St. Louis' 10-6 victory over the Cubs in Chicago on July 14. He has a 1.78 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in eight home starts this season but only a 4-4 record to show for it, partly because the Cardinals scored six runs in those four losses. Wainwright is 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in nine games (six starts) against San Diego.

WALK-OFFS

1. Carpenter yielded four runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings while throwing 74 pitches - 49 strikes - with Triple-A Memphis on Saturday. The 38-year-old right-hander, who was 44-22 from 2009-11 before injuries halted his 2012 season after three starts, allowed three runs (two earned) and struck out five while throwing 38 of his 54 pitches for strikes in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Springfield on Monday.

2. The Cardinals on Saturday placed LF Matt Holliday on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring injury, retroactive to July 12. Holliday, a career .310 hitter, is batting .268 with 13 homers and 47 RBIs.

3. St. Louis' Brock Peterson, a 29-year-old veteran of 998 minor-league games and 165 independent-league contests, made his major-league debut Saturday and delivered an RBI groundout in a pinch-hitting role. Peterson, who received a standing ovation when he came to the plate, took Holliday's spot on the roster.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Padres 2