Atlanta @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2013 ) Atlanta 1, St. Louis 3

A pair of 22-year-old emerging stars take the mound Saturday when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Atlanta Braves in the third contest of a four-game series that could be a National League playoff preview. Shelby Miller has established himself as a legitimate starter for the Cardinals, who hold the top NL wild-card spot, while Julio Teheran has established his place in the rotation for the NL East-leading Braves. Both hurlers bring sub-3.00 ERAs and double-digit win totals into the series.

St. Louis won the first two games of the series behind strong starting pitching, holding Atlanta to three runs on 15 hits. While the Braves and Cardinals are heading toward October, St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina and Atlanta third baseman Chris Johnson are battling for the NL batting title. Molina collected three hits Friday to raise his average to .337, five points higher than Johnson.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN South (Atlanta), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Julio Teheran (10-6, 2.96 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Shelby Miller (11-8, 2.98)

Teheran pitched well in a no-decision against St. Louis on July 27 in Atlanta, firing seven shutout innings with two hits allowed and six strikeouts. He has surrendered six runs in 23 innings in August, going 3-1 in four starts with a 2.35 ERA. Teheran gave up 15 home runs in his first 18 starts, but in six starts since the All-Star break has allowed two homers in 36 innings while posting a 1.75 ERA.

Miller is 6-3 with a stellar 1.99 ERA in 12 starts at Busch Stadium this season, holding opponents to a .209 batting average. He is winless in his past three starts and has surrendered seven runs in his past 11 1/3 innings. The Braves beat Miller in Atlanta on July 28 as he allowed three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis placed P Jake Westbrook (lower back strain) on the disabled list, promoting P Carlos Martinez from Triple-A Memphis and moving P Tyler Lyons into the starting rotation.

2. Friday’s 3-1 loss dropped the Braves’ road record to 33-33 - only three NL teams (Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Los Angeles) have winning records away from home.

3. Atlanta acquired P Freddy Garcia from Baltimore for cash on Friday and assigned the 36-year-old right-hander to Triple-A Gwinnett, and placed P Brandon Beachy on the disabled list (elbow).

PREDICTION: Braves 3, Cardinals 2