San Francisco @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( May 29, 2014 ) San Francisco 6, St. Louis 5

Adam Wainwright has put together exceptional back-to-back starts and looks to continue his spectacular season when the St. Louis Cardinals host the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Wainwright has allowed just six hits over 17 scoreless innings while winning his last two outings and hasn’t given up a run in five of his 11 starts. He opposes Madison Bumgarner, who is 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA in five May starts, last losing on April 28 to San Diego.

The Giants have won seven of their last eight games after posting a 6-5 victory in Thursday’s opener of the four-game set as Michael Morse homered and delivered the decisive two-run double. San Francisco was without the slumping Buster Posey (3-for-32 over his last 10 games) as the All-Star catcher again is being bothered by nerve issues in his lower back. St. Louis' Matt Carpenter is swinging a hot bat as he extended his hitting streak to 11 games Thursday by registering his seventh two-hit performance during the stretch.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (San Francisco), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (6-3, 3.15 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (8-2, 1.67)

Bumgarner matched his season best of 10 strikeouts and didn’t walk anyone in seven dominant innings against Minnesota in his last turn. He allowed one run and three hits while beating the Twins and has 38 strikeouts against four walks in his May outings. Bumgarner is 2-3 with a 4.32 ERA in five regular-season starts against the Cardinals.

Wainwright tossed a one-hit shutout against Arizona on May 20 and followed up by matching his career high of 12 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. He leads the majors in ERA and has struck out 77 while walking just 16 in 81 innings. Wainwright is 4-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 career regular-season appearances (eight starts) against the Giants.

WALK-OFFS

1. Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval homered for the sixth time in the last 11 games and has at least one RBI in each contest during his nine-game hitting streak, the club’s longest consecutive-game RBI streak since Barry Bonds also had a nine-gamer in 2000.

2. Cardinals 1B Matt Adams (calf) has missed two straight starts and is unlikely to play in the field on Friday.

3. San Francisco OF Angel Pagan is 6-for-15 with three walks against Wainwright.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 2, Giants 1