Milwaukee @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 2, 2014 ) Milwaukee 7, St. Louis 9

After one new acquisition emerged victorious in his debut, the St. Louis Cardinals hope the same holds true for another on Sunday. John Lackey looks to follow in Justin Masterson's footsteps when he takes the mound in the rubber match of the three-game series versus the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. Masterson picked up the win despite laboring through six innings and Kolten Wong keyed the high-powered offense with a homer among his three hits as St. Louis, which is one-half game out of a wild-card spot in the National League, slugged its way to a 9-7 triumph on Saturday.

Acquired from Boston prior to the trade deadline, Lackey looks to endear himself to his new club by moving it within one game of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. The 35-year-old would be wise to tread lightly against All-Star Aramis Ramirez, who recorded his second straight three-hit performance of the series on Saturday and is 10-for-19 in his last five games. Ramirez has torched the Cardinals this season, going 15-for-33 with two homers and eight RBIs.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Matt Garza (7-7, 3.74) vs. Cardinals RH John Lackey (11-7, 3.60)

Garza has answered a brutal five-run outing on July 19 with two sterling efforts, allowing just one solo homer in each to pick up the win against the New York Mets on July 24 before settling for a no-decision versus Tampa Bay five days later. The 30-year-old dropped both meetings with St. Louis to fall to 3-3 in his career against the division rival. Garza yielded four runs in seven innings of a 4-0 loss on April 14 before permitting five runs in three frames 16 days later in a 9-3 setback.

Lackey suffered the loss in his last outing despite allowing three runs in seven innings of a 3-0 setback to Tampa Bay on July 26. The veteran hurler has struggled with his control of late, issuing four free passes to the Rays after walking five batters on July 11. Lackey also has been generous with the long ball, yielding seven homers in his last six outings after serving up eight in his previous 15.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis LF Matt Carpenter, who is 5-for-13 with four RBIs in his last three contests, is 9-for-24 (.375) lifetime against Garza.

2. Milwaukee 1B Lyle Overbay is 1-for-18 in his last 10 games but 11-for-32 (.344) with six doubles in his career versus Lackey.

3. Cardinals OF Jon Jay has missed four straight contests with a sore left wrist, prompting manager Mike Matheny to note that the 29-year-old may not start again until Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Brewers 5, Cardinals 3