St. Louis @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 7, 2018 ) Miami 1, St. Louis 4

Matt Carpenter bids to continue his torrid display at the plate on Monday as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals play the opener of a three-game series against the Miami Marlins. Carpenter went deep for the third time in as many contests on Sunday to push the Cardinals (58-54) into third place in the National League Central with a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

Carpenter, who homered in six straight games from July 14-21, was kept in the park in St. Louis' previous series against Miami (46-67) - although he went 5-for-14 with two runs scored. Fellow third baseman Jedd Gyorko didn't fare as well in that set, but had an RBI single on Sunday to give him six hits and as many runs driven in during his last four outings. While the Cardinals have won four of five to keep within earshot of the first-place Chicago Cubs, the reeling Marlins dropped their sixth straight and 10th in 13 games with a 5-3 setback to Philadelphia on Sunday. Justin Bour homered three times in the series against the Phillies and went 4-for-12 with two RBIs in the previous set versus St. Louis.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Florida (Miami)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Luke Weaver (6-9, 4.75 ERA) vs. Marlins LH Wei-Yin Chen (3-8, 5.86)

Weaver endured another inconsistent turn in his topsy-turvy campaign on Wednesday after yielding two runs on five hits in a season-low 2 2/3 innings of a no-decision versus Colorado. The former Florida State star looks to find himself at home on the road, where he boasts a 5-5 mark with a 4.43 ERA as opposed to a 1-4 record with a 5.13 ERA at Busch Stadium. Weaver has scattered three hits in three scoreless innings of relief over two career appearances against Miami.

While Weaver has received better results on the road, Chen has performed better at Marlins Park as he owns a 2-2 record with a 2.18 ERA as opposed to a 1-6 mark with a bloated 10.27 ERA outside of Miami. "We're not going to try to explain it. We're going to try to ride it," manager Don Mattingly told reporters of the 33-year-old, who allowed five runs on as many hits - including two homers - in five innings of a 5-3 setback at Atlanta last Monday. Chen pitched significantly better in his last outing against St. Louis, although he settled for a no-decision after permitting two runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings on June 6.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis OF Marcell Ozuna returns to play a game in Miami for the first time since being traded in December for RHPs Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen, OF Magneuris Sierra and LHP Daniel Castano.

2. Marlins LF Derek Dietrich went 6-for-11 with a homer, four RBIs and four runs scored in the previous series versus the Cardinals.

3. St. Louis C Yadier Molina is 9-for-25 with three RBIs and three runs scored in his last five games.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Marlins 2