St. Louis @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2012 ) St. Louis 5, Chi. Cubs 4

The St. Louis Cardinals were a couple of outs away from another lost day in their quest to clinch a playoff berth until they turned the tables on the rival Chicago Cubs. The teams have split the first two contests of a three-game set, with each taking turns using a home run to tie it up in the ninth before winning in extra innings. The Cardinals’ triumph on Saturday kept them 2 1/2 games up in the wild card race.

St. Louis was missing its bullpen duo of Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte in the opener, with each getting the day off due to workload concerns. The bullpen broke down without the pair in a 5-4 loss. The two were back on Saturday, with Boggs getting the win and Motte locking up the save after the Cubs’ Carlos Marmol let his team down in the ninth. Chicago had taken four straight from the Cardinals at Wrigley Field until Saturday’s misstep. St. Louis can now win the series on Sunday behind Kyle Lohse.

TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, FSMW (St. Louis), WGN (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Kyle Lohse (15-3, 2.71 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Justin Germano (2-8, 5.58)

Lohse is coming off a stellar outing against the Houston Astros in which he surrendered four hits in seven scoreless innings to earn the win. The veteran right-hander has been sharp with his command all season, issuing just 36 walks in 199 total innings. Lohse dominated Chicago on July 20, yielding one run on six hits in seven innings. He is 3-4 with a 5.22 ERA in 15 career starts against the Cubs.

Germano is still trying to convince the Chicago brass that he deserves a spot in the team’s 2013 plans. The 30-year-old has not been doing a great job of that lately, suffering the loss in each of his last six starts. He walked five and allowed three runs in five innings against Cincinnati on Tuesday. Germano worked out of the bullpen against the Cardinals on July 21, allowing one run in three innings to absorb the loss.

WALK-OFFS

1. Marmol had converted 19 consecutive saves before blowing the lead on Saturday.

2. Cardinals C Yadier Molina left in the ninth inning of Saturday’s contest with lower back spasms.

3. St. Louis RHP Jake Westbrook (oblique) suffered a setback in his rehab and could be out the rest of the regular season.