Atlanta @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 24, 2013 ) Atlanta 2, St. Louis 6
The St. Louis Cardinals aren't letting anything get in their way of their pursuit of the National League Central penthouse. Winners of four in a row and seven of eight to pull into a tie with Pittsburgh atop the division, the host Cardinals vie for a four-game sweep of the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves on Sunday. Carlos Beltran blasted his team-leading 23rd homer among his three hits and Matt Carpenter also went deep in Saturday's 6-2 triumph.
While the Cardinals tangle with both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh as they jockey for postseason positioning, Atlanta has shown some cracks in its armor. The Braves have mustered just five runs en route to dropping three in a row for the first time since July 3-5. Freddie Freeman homered on Saturday for Atlanta, which still owns a 12-game cushion over second-place Washington.
TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, TBS, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Mike Minor (12-5, 3.06 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (13-7, 3.97)
Minor was blitzed for four runs on as many hits and walks in a career-worst 1 2/3 innings before escaping with a no-decision against the Nationals on Aug. 17. The 25-year-old was significantly better versus St. Louis on July 26, permitting one run on four hits in seven innings in a 4-1 triumph. Minor has pitched well on the road, posting a 6-2 mark with a 2.51 ERA.
While Minor has excelled on the road, Lynn has been stellar at home. The 26-year-old boasts an 8-2 record in St. Louis while limiting the opposition to a .232 batting average. Lynn saw his winless stretch reach three games after yielding six runs on nine hits over six innings in a 6-3 setback to Milwaukee on Tuesday.
WALK-OFFS
1. Freeman is enjoying a 13-for-30 run over his last seven games. He is 0-for-2 versus Lynn.
2. Riding a six-game hitting streak, Beltran is 4-for-10 with four extra-base hits in his career against Minor.
3. The Braves outscored the Cardinals by an 11-3 margin to win all three games in Atlanta last month. St. Louis has enjoyed a 15-5 advantage in this series.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 2, Braves 1