Los Angeles @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( May 26, 2013 ) St. Louis 5, LA Dodgers 3

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 14-2 since the All-Star break, 31-7 over the last 38 games and are looking for their 15th consecutive road victory, which would be the longest such streak since the 1957 Cincinnati Reds also won 15 straight. The St. Louis Cardinals, who host the Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series on Monday, struggled at the end of July but have busted out of an offensive slump in a big way since the calendar flipped to August. The Cardinals will put their surging offense up against Los Angeles’ dominating pitching in a possible playoff preview.

The Dodgers just completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs and held opponents to an average of 1.4 runs in the last nine games, including back-to-back shutouts. St. Louis pounded out a season-high 15 runs on Sunday and put up at least 13 runs in three of its last four contests. The Cardinals totaled 13 runs in their eight July contests.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, KCAL (Los Angeles), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers RH Zack Greinke (8-3, 3.43 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (13-6, 2.61)

Greinke is winless is three straight starts but owns a 3.15 ERA in that span. The former Cy Young Award winner held the New York Yankees to two runs on five hits in seven innings last Tuesday but wasn't part of the decision. Greinke has yet to face St. Louis in 2013 and is 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) against the Cardinals in his career.

Wainwright will be taking his third crack at an NL-best 14th win after failing to get enough support in his last two turns. The All-Star right-hander allowed four runs over seven innings in a 5-4 loss at Pittsburgh on Wednesday and absorbed a loss in a 4-1 setback at Atlanta in the previous start. Wainwright is 4-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 12 career games (nine starts) against Los Angeles.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals 2B Matt Carpenter snapped an 0-for-23 skid with an RBI double on Sunday.

2. Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig (thumb) sat out on Sunday but is expected back in the lineup on Monday, while the status of SS Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) is in doubt after he left Sunday's game.

3. St. Louis is 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central while Los Angeles sit 5 1/2 clear of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the West.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2