Cincinnati @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( May 25, 2014 ) St. Louis 4, Cincinnati 0

The St. Louis Cardinals continue their seven-game homestand with a key three-game set beginning Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. St. Louis' Trevor Rosenthal, fourth in the majors with 36 saves, allowed two runs in the ninth inning Sunday and was lifted in St. Louis' 7-6 victory over San Diego, and has yielded runs in three of his last five appearances. "We've worked him pretty hard and we're going to be very careful about how we move forward," manager Mike Matheny told reporters about Rosenthal after the Cardinals increased their wild-card lead to 2 1/2 games while remaining three behind Milwaukee in the Central.

The Reds will likely be a bit bleary-eyed after they were swept in a day-night doubleheader in Colorado, which prevented them from reaching their hotel rooms in St. Louis until the early hours of Monday morning. Cincinnati, which is 4 1/2 games behind San Francisco for the second wild-card spot, will determine prior to the game whether star second baseman Brandon Phillips -- out since July 10 with a thumb injury -- is ready to return after a weekend rehab stint in Triple-A Louisville and Class A Dayton. Justin Masterson makes his fourth start with St. Louis since being acquired prior to the trade deadline and opposes Mike Leake, who lost his last two turns.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Mike Leake (9-11, 3.59 ERA) vs Cardinals RH Justin Masterson (6-7, 5.58)

Leake permitted five runs and eight hits in five innings of a 5-4 setback to Boston on Wednesday after losing to Miami 2-1. The 26-year-old Californian is 3-5 with a 4.85 ERA in 11 games against the Cardinals - 1-1, 1.29 this season, including a 4-0 victory in St. Louis on April 9 when he yielded four hits in eight innings. Matt Holliday (11-for-28, homer, three doubles, six RBIs) has enjoyed success against Leake, as has Matt Adams (4-for-12, homer, double, two RBIs).

Masterson allowed three hits and struck out three in seven shutout innings of a 5-2 victory at Miami on Wednesday to improve to 2-1 and lower his ERA from 11.25 to 6.00 in three outings with St. Louis. "(Wednesday) was just a great sign of the kind of pitcher he can be when he gets it all put together," Matheny told reporters about the Jamaican-born 29-year-old. "It couldn't have happened at a better time." Masterson is 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA in five starts against Cincinnati -- including a 5-2 victory May 29, 2013 in the last meeting -- while the Reds' active roster (10-for-56, one homer, four RBIs and 12 strikeouts) has struggled against him.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals OF Jon Jay, who was hit by four pitches in a five at-bat span Friday and Saturday, is 12-for-24 with two homers and nine RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.

2. Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, who has 26 saves in 28 chances, walked all four batters he faced in the ninth inning of Sunday's opener in a non-save situation and all scored as Drew Stubbs belted a three-run walk-off homer against J.J. Hoover to give Colorado a 10-9 victory.

3. Holliday was given Sunday off to rest his ailing knee after going 0-for-18 in his previous five games.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 3, Reds 2