St. Louis @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2011 ) St. Louis 13, Houston 6

THE STORY: It all comes down to one final game for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals came from behind to win on Tuesday night, lifting themselves into a tie with the Atlanta Braves atop the National League wild card standings with one game left. The Houston Astros are not rolling over for St. Louis and will be trotting out their hottest starting pitcher on Wednesday when Brett Myers takes his turn. Chris Carpenter will counter for the Cardinals in the regular season finale at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday night.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FSMW (St. Louis), FSH (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Chris Carpenter (10-9, 3.59 ERA) vs. Astros RH Brett Myers (7-13, 4.31 ERA).

Carpenter has allowed one or no runs in three of his last four starts and is coming off a seven-inning, one-run effort against the Chicago Cubs last Friday. Carpenter did not get much support in that game and did not factor in the decision as the Cardinals fell, 5-1. The New Hampshire native has fared well against the Astros in his career, going 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 18 career starts, including a no decision earlier this season.

Myers is ending a disappointing year strong with a 4-0 record and 1.24 ERA over his last five starts. The veteran righthander has been able to limit his mistakes in that span, surrendering only one home run and issuing a total of six walks in 36 1/3 innings. Myers went eight innings against St. Louis on July 26, scattering three runs and 11 hits in a loss. He is 6-5 with a 4.54 ERA in his career against the Cardinals.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (89-72): St. Louis has made a habit of falling behind early and then battling back over the last few days. That system worked in wins over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday and Sunday but the Cardinals did not quite have enough left to overcome Houston on Monday. Tuesday was different, as St. Louis fell behind 5-0 early only to battle for a 13-6 triumph. Allen Craig took over for an injured Matt Holliday and drove in four runs in the win. Holliday, who sat out nine days with an injured right middle finger, was bothered by the right hand again on Tuesday. Should a one-game playoff be necessary, it would take place in St. Louis on Thursday night at 8:07 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Albert Pujols, who could be playing in his final game for the Cardinals on Wednesday, is in danger of finishing the season below .300 and with less than 100 RBIs for the first time in his career. After going 1-for-6 on Tuesday, Pujols sits at exactly .300 with 98 RBIs.

ABOUT THE ASTROS (56-105): Houston has to be pleased with the way their younger players have stepped up in meaningful games this week. Jimmy Paredes and Brett Wallace each drove in a pair of runs on Tuesday while Brian Bogusevic and Jose Altuve combined for five hits. The pitching has struggled a bit more, as rookie Henry Sosa squandered a 5-0 lead on Tuesday and lasted just 3 1/3 innings.

FINAL PITCH: St. Louis will likely not have shortstop Rafael Furcal available on Wednesday. Furcal came out of Monday’s game with tightness in his left hamstring and did not play Tuesday. Should the Cardinals force a one-game playoff, Furcal could be ready to go by Thursday. He has hit .255 with seven homers in 50 games since joining St. Louis.