New York @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2016 ) NY Mets 7, St. Louis 4

Jacob deGrom will look to rebound from a rare clunker as the visiting New York Mets continue their three-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night. New York ran its winning streak to three games with a 7-4 victory in the series opener to draw within 3 1/2 games of St. Louis for the second wild card.

The Mets will be looking for deGrom to pitch deep into Wednesday's game after starter Jon Niese lasted only four batters Tuesday due to a sore knee, forcing the bullpen to supply 8 2/3 innings. New York third baseman Jose Reyes matched Asdrubal Cabrera with three hits at the top of the order to improve to 15-for-38 over his last nine games. Catcher Yadier Molina broke out of a 1-for-13 rut with three hits Tuesday for the Cardinals, who are 6-2 over the last eight games while trying to weather a wave of injuries. St. Louis sends 11-game winner Carlos Martinez to the mound to oppose deGrom.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Jacob deGrom (7-6, 2.73 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Carlos Martínez (11-7, 3.24)

It was a forgettable performance for deGrom last time out at San Francisco, when he was shelled for eight runs and 13 hits over five innings to lose for the first time in nearly a month. DeGrom was brilliant in his previous four turns, allowing a combined two runs and 19 hits over 27 2/3 innings. He has split a pair of starts against the Cardinals, striking out 13 and giving up six runs in 12 1/3 innings.

Martinez ended a three-start winless drought with a dominating performance at Houston on Wednesday, permitting just one run on three hits while striking out seven over seven innings. Martinez has allowed 14 runs over his previous three outings, which came on the heels of a three-start winning streak. That included five innings of two-run ball versus the Mets, boosting Martinez's record against them to 2-1 with a 1.31 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mets RHP Jeurys Familia needs one save to tie the club record of 43 he shares with Armando Benitez.

2. The Cardinals have homered in 12 consecutive games; they also had a 17-game homer string last month.

3. The Mets expect LHP Steven Matz (shoulder) to come off the disabled list and start next Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Mets 2