St. Louis @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 11, 2012 ) St. Louis 4, Philadelphia 1
The St. Louis Cardinals are once again making their presence known in the National League wild-card race. Considering that St. Louis traveled this route in 2011 - and we all know how that turned out - it's fair to say that many teams are keeping tabs on Mike Matheny's club. The visiting Cardinals will look to win the rubber match of their three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday and continue their charge for one of the two wild-card spots.
Matt Holliday belted a three-run homer and Allen Craig also collected three hits as St. Louis posted a 4-1 triumph on Saturday. The victory - along with Pittsburgh's 5-0 loss to San Diego - brought the Cardinals to within 1 1/2 games of the Pirates for the second wild-card spot. The Phillies aren't too concerned about the standings at this point, but rather the future. With that in mind, promising young outfielder Domonic Brown enters Sunday's tilt with an eight-game hitting streak.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), WB17 (Philadelphia)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (13-5, 3.52 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vance Worley (6-7, 3.83)
Lynn suffered his first loss since June 30 after allowing four runs in six innings in a 4-2 setback to San Francisco on Tuesday. The 25-year-old has pitched at least five frames in all but one of his 22 starts in his rookie season. Lynn has yet to face the Phillies.
Worley, who has traded wins and losses since late June, yielded four runs in 3 2/3 innings en route to a 6-1 setback to Atlanta on Monday. The 24-year-old pitched well in his lone career regular-season start versus St. Louis. Worley allowed one run in six sizzling innings, but settled for a no-decision.
WALK-OFFS
1. Craig, who has collected 15 hits in his last 11 games, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout versus Worley in their previous meeting.
2. Philadelphia 3B Placido Polanco is expected to travel with the team to Miami after Sunday's contest. Polanco has been sidelined with lower back inflammation since July 23.
3. St. Louis 2B Ryan Jackson initially struggled in his major-league debut Saturday. Touted for his defensive skills, Jackson committed an error in the fourth inning before making a few solid plays later in the contest.