San Diego @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 16, 2014 ) San Diego 9, St. Louis 5

St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright attempts to maintain his dominance of the San Diego Padres when the teams conclude their four-game series Sunday afternoon in St. Louis. Wainwright owns a 5-2 record with a miniscule 1.20 ERA in seven career starts against San Diego, including a solid eight-inning effort in his most recent encounter on July 21, 2013. Many of those meetings came against some weak-hitting Padres lineups, but the current version has begun to put up a bit more resistance.

San Diego drew 10 walks in a 9-5 win over St. Louis on Saturday in a game that was delayed in the seventh inning for nearly two hours. Jedd Gyorko continued his recent surge with a grand slam and five RBIs as the Padres - who have scored the second-most runs in the National League since the All-Star break - improved to 10-4 in August. The Cardinals enter on top of the wild-card race and are three games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central, while the Padres cling to some hope with a six-game deficit in the chase for the second wild-card spot.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Odrisamer Despaigne (3-3, 2.72 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (14-7, 2.34)

Despaigne hit a rough patch by allowing 12 earned runs in 15 innings over a span of three starts before bouncing back in a big way Tuesday against Colorado. The 27-year-old Cuban limited the Rockies to five hits in seven scoreless frames while striking out a career-high eight. Part of Despaigne's recent slump involved a start at home against St. Louis on July 31, when he gave up six runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Wainwright gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings of a 3-0 loss at Miami on Tuesday. He served up a home run for the second time in three starts after going nine consecutive outings without giving up a long ball. The three-time All-Star is 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA over his last three home starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Gyorko has collected 17 RBIs in his last 17 games.

2. Cardinals LF Matt Holliday is hitless in 18 at-bats since going 4-for-4 at Miami on Monday.

3. San Diego's bullpen ERA is at 2.32 after 3 1/3 scoreless innings in Saturday's win.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Padres 2