St. Louis @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 1, 2017 ) LA Dodgers 0, St. Louis 2

Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger look to extend long hitting streaks when the Los Angeles Dodgers begin a six-game homestand with the first of three contests against the hard-charging St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. Turner has hit safely in 13 straight contests for the Dodgers after going 4-for-5 with five RBIs in Sunday’s 12-1 win over Seattle and Bellinger owns a 12-game streak following a three-hit effort.

Los Angeles totaled 17 hits Sunday to win its first series since late July and remain two games behind first-place Arizona in the National League West and 1 1/2 back in the race for the NL’s second wild card. Alex Wood will try to help the Dodgers get their homestand off to a strong start when he takes the mound against St. Louis rookie Austin Gomber, who is coming off back-to-back scoreless outings. The Cardinals suffered a 2-1 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday, but won their seventh straight series and are 14-4 in August to pull within four games of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and one-half game of the second wild card. Matt Carpenter, who leads the NL with 33 homers, had a single in Sunday’s setback for St. Louis but is just 1-for-20 in his last six games while veteran catcher Yadier Molina is in a 0-for-17 slide for the Cardinals.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Midwest (St. Louis), SportsNet LA

PITCHING MATCHUP: LH Austin Gomber (3-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Alex Wood (7-6, 3.51)

Gomber has been outstanding in his last two starts, allowing seven hits and five walks across 11 scoreless innings combined, and earned the win in three of his last four outings. The 24-year-old Florida Atlantic product is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA in four major league starts and 1-0 with a 3.38 mark in 17 relief appearances. Gomber, who faces the Dodgers for the first time, has allowed opponents a .246 batting average on the road and .188 at home.

Wood has held four straight opponents to two or fewer runs and did not yield more than three in his last 10 trips to the mound, dating back to mid-June. The 27-year-old Georgia product is 0-1 in August despite a 1.64 ERA in two starts after winning his previous six decisions. Carpenter is 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks versus Wood, who has permitted two runs over 7 1/3 innings in two career appearances (one start) against the Cardinals.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis rookie INF Patrick Wisdom launched his first career homer Sunday and is 4-for-9 in his first eight major league games.

2. Los Angeles SS Manny Machado was hit on the left wrist by a pitch in the ninth inning Sunday, but X-rays came back negative.

3. The Cardinals, who host the Dodgers for four games Sept. 13-16, have homered in 12 consecutive games - their longest run since June of 2017.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 4, Cardinals 3