New York @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 17, 2015 ) NY Mets 2, St. Louis 3

Jhonny Peralta and the St. Louis Cardinals began the post-All-Star break by playing in much the same manner as they did in the first half of the season. Peralta looks to continue his torrid stretch as the Cardinals vie for a series victory when they face the visiting New York Mets on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Dominican added to his team-leading totals with his 14th homer and 47th RBI in St. Louis' 3-2 victory and has five hits in as many games versus the Mets this season. For all of his recent success, Peralta has struggled in his career versus Saturday starter Bartolo Colon, going 3-for-15 (.200) with four strikeouts. St. Louis' John Lackey provides the opposition and has pitched well at Busch Stadium, posting a 5-2 mark with a slim 1.98 ERA in nine starts this season. He'd be wise to keep the ball in the park, as New York recorded a stretch of 16 straight runs via the homer before Lucas Duda scored on an infield single in the ninth inning.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, WPIX (New York), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Bartolo Colon (9-7, 4.46 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH John Lackey (7-5, 2.99)

Colon fell to 0-3 in his last four starts after allowing three runs on 10 hits in six innings of a 3-0 setback at San Francisco on July 7. The 42-year-old Dominican saw his career mark versus St. Louis dip to 4-1 after permitting season highs in both runs (nine) and hits (11) while matching a campaign-low in innings worked (4 1/3) in a 9-0 setback on May 20. Colon looks to exact revenge against the Cardinals after telling a translator that he "got my behind whipped" in the last outing.

Lackey continued his string of strong starts despite settling for a no-decision in his last outing. The 36-year-old, who allowed one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings versus Pittsburgh on Saturday, has permitted eight runs and 36 hits in his last six outings - during which he recorded a 3-1 mark. Lackey owns a 1-0 career record versus New York, but settled for a no-decision on May 18 after yielding one run on three hits in seven innings in his last meeting.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis LF Matt Holliday went 0-for-3 in his return from a quadriceps strain that had sidelined since June 8.

2. New York, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped on Friday, is 5-15 in its last 20 contests at Busch Stadium.

3. Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in his last two games.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Mets 2