St. Louis @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2015 ) St. Louis 0, LA Dodgers 2

Yasiel Puig returned from a long stint on the disabled list to remind the Los Angeles Dodgers of what they have been missing without his bat in the lineup. After getting a clutch hit from their enigmatic right fielder to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday, the host Dodgers eye a series split Sunday when they wrap up their four-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Clayton Kershaw and Jaime Garcia each blanked the opposition through six innings Saturday before Puig, who missed the previous 39 games because of a left hamstring strain, broke the tie in the seventh with an RBI double en route to a 2-0 victory. Although the National League West-leading Dodgers went 21-18 in Puig’s absence, they have scored two or fewer runs in 13 of their last 21 contests. St. Louis, which took two of three at home from Los Angeles last weekend, got a taste of its own medicine Saturday as Kershaw and Kenley Jansen combined on a one-hit shutout after the Cardinals had limited the Dodgers to one run or fewer in four of their previous five meetings. Another pitchers’ duel could be in store for the finale as St. Louis’ Lance Lynn (15th) and the Los Angeles’ Zack Greinke (fourth) rank among the NL leaders in ERA.

TV: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (4-4, 3.03 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Zack Greinke (5-1, 1.97)

Lynn turned in one of his finest outings of the season Tuesday, yielding only five singles and a walk over 7 2/3 innings to get the decision in a 1-0 victory versus Milwaukee. The 28-year-old Indiana native has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his 11 outings, but struck out five or fewer in his last three turns after fanning at least six in each of his previous seven tries. Lynn is 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five starts versus Los Angeles, but has allowed the current group of Dodgers to bat .303 against him.

Greinke gave up more than three runs for the first time in 13 regular-season outings since last September on Tuesday, surrendering five runs on a season-high 10 hits in a no-decision at Colorado. The 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner has been incredible at Dodger Stadium over his career, however, going 21-5 with a 2.29 ERA in 37 turns. Greinke has enjoyed similar success in 14 appearances (12 starts) versus the Cardinals, going 9-4 with a 3.17 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Dodgers not only avoided their first four-game losing streak since Sept. 13-16, 2013 on Saturday, but also maintained their all-time series lead against the Cardinals (1,018-1,016).

2. Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter (right tricep contusion) is day-to-day after he was hit by a Kershaw pitch in the first inning of Saturday’s game.

3. St. Louis has surrendered a total of 10 runs over the last seven contests.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1