San Diego @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 14, 2014 ) San Diego 3, St. Louis 4

With first place in one set of standings now under their wing, the St. Louis Cardinals continue to reach for a higher goal as they host the San Diego Padres in the second contest of their four-game series Friday. St. Louis posted an exciting 4-3 victory in the opener to leap ahead of Pittsburgh for the first wild-card spot in the National League. Jon Jay delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth inning to snap a tie and the Cardinals survived a rocky ninth by closer Trevor Rosenthal with the help of video review as the procedure upheld the umpire's ruling that catcher A.J. Pierzynski did not block Alexi Amarista's path to the plate as he attempted to score the tying run.

St. Louis remained two games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central as it attempts to win its 12th overall division title and third in six years. San Diego's slim postseason hopes took a hit as it dropped 6 1/2 games back in the race for the second wild card. Amarista registered his fifth three-hit performance of the season, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Padres' five-game winning streak from coming to an end.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Tyson Ross (11-10, 2.63 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (12-8, 2.97)

Ross trailed 2-0 after facing two batters on Sunday but kept Pittsburgh at bay from that point on, earning his fourth straight victory by allowing just two runs and six hits in six innings. The 27-year-old All-Star has yielded two earned runs or fewer in each of his last 10 starts but is only 5-4 in that span. Ross won his first career start against St. Louis on July 29, when he held the Cardinals to one run on four hits and five walks over six frames.

Lynn snapped his three-start winless streak Sunday at Baltimore, limiting the Orioles to three runs despite yielding nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old had allowed two runs or fewer in each of his previous six outings but went just 3-2 over that stretch. Lynn squared off against Ross in the July 29 contest, falling to 1-2 in three career starts versus San Diego after giving up only two runs - one earned - in six frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis' Jhonny Peralta tied the franchise record for home runs by a shortstop in a single season by belting his 16th on Thursday.

2. Padres RHP Andrew Cashner (shoulder) made a rehab start for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday and hopes to return to the rotation next week.

3. Cardinals C Yadier Molina on Thursday participated in a bullpen session for the first time since undergoing surgery on his thumb over a month ago.

PREDICTION: Padres 3, Cardinals 2