St. Louis @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2011 ) St. Louis 5, NY Mets 6

THE STORY: Albert Pujols probably won't get many more days off - particularly with his St. Louis Cardinals sputtering. Pujols and the Cardinals face the host New York Mets in the finale of their three-game series Thursday afternoon. The Mets send Jonathan Niese to the mound as they look for a sweep. St. Louis counters with Jake Westbrook.

TV: 12:10 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (7-4, 5.26 ERA) vs. Mets LH Jonathan Niese (9-7, 3.73).

The Cardinals will undoubtedly be hoping for a long outing from Westbrook, who has pitched into the sixth inning only once in his last four starts. The 33-year-old is coming off a decent outing against Cincinnati, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings but settling for a no-decision. He lost his only career start against the Mets in June 2010, allowing five runs in seven innings. Niese was sensational in his previous outing, limiting Philadelphia to a pair of runs over seven innings to improve to 8-3 in his last 12 starts. He has surrendered more than three runs only once in that span, erasing the memory of a 1-4 start to the season. Niese is 1-0 in two career starts against the Cardinals, holding them to one run in 7 2/3 innings.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (50-47): Having lost four of five since the All-Star Break, St. Louis will likely ride the key members of their lineup for the remainder of the regular season. Pujols was given Wednesday off with the Mets starting knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, but entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning. With St. Louis in the middle of a stretch of 20 games in a row, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa opted to give Pujols a breather both to preserve his energy and to avoid having Dickey's knuckler mess with the timing of his swing. Pujols has limited experience against Niese, going 1-for-4 with a double.

ABOUT THE METS (49-48): The path to the National League East title remains daunting, but the Mets continue to be competitive even as trade rumors swirl around them on a daily basis. After proclaiming earlier in the day that shortstop Jose Reyes would not be shipped out of New York ahead of the July 31 non-waiver deadline, the Mets battled back from an early 4-0 deficit to beat St. Louis for the second time in as many nights. New York may have to do without veteran outfielder Jason Bay in the matinee finale after he left Wednesday's game with tightness in his hamstring. He is listed as day-to-day.

FINAL PITCH: Thursday could mark Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran's final home game as a Met. While Beltran's name continues to be bandied about in trade rumors, New York embarks on a 10-game road trip after Thursday's game that will see them away from Citi Field until Aug. 1.