St. Louis @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2012 ) St. Louis 3, LA Dodgers 4

After pulling even with the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the National League's second wild card spot, the Los Angeles Dodgers hoped to have ace Clayton Kershaw start Sunday’s series finale. Instead, Kershaw is on his way to visit a hip specialist, with rookie Stephen Fife stepping in to make the most important start of his young career. Kershaw could miss the rest of the season with continued right hip pain, but he’ll know more after Tuesday’s appointment with Dr. Bryan Kelly in New York. The Dodgers, who have already lost starters Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly to season-ending injuries, tied St. Louis for the second wild card berth with Saturday’s dramatic 4-3 win.

St. Louis will look to rebound from Saturday’s tough loss behind Adam Wainwright, who is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA in six starts against the Dodgers since the start of the 2008 season. The Cardinals are hoping to get Chris Carpenter (right shoulder) back next week after he threw 95 pitches Saturday in a simulated game. St. Louis is 1-5 on its current seven-game road trip and 2-8 over its last 10 games. The Dodgers’ Matt Kemp went 0-for-4 on Saturday and is 3-for-32 in his last eight games, and he’s just 2-for-21 in his career against Wainwright. Catcher A.J. Ellis is hitless in his last 16 at-bats, and he’ll likely get Sunday off after starting the Dodgers’ last 11 games.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Midwest (St. Louis), PRIME (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (13-13, 4.01 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Stephen Fife (0-1, 2.16)

Wainwright is 0-3 with a 8.56 ERA in his last three starts after going 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his previous seven outings. He allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits over six innings last Tuesday against the Padres. The 31-year-old is 4-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 13 road starts on the year.

Fife made three starts for the Dodgers before being bumped from the rotation when they acquired Joe Blanton. Fife, who allowed four earned runs in 16 2/3 innings, hasn’t pitched in the majors since Aug. 1. The 25-year-old was 11-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for Triple-A Albuquerque this season.

WALK-OFFS:

1. St. Louis RF Carlos Beltran missed Saturday’s contest with lower back tightness and is listed as day-to-day.

2. Dodgers RHP Brandon League has allowed just one run in his last 13 appearances, covering 13 1/3 innings since Aug. 21.

3. Cardinals CF Jon Jay is 3-for-26 during his last six games.