St. Louis @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 24, 2011 ) St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 4

THE STORY: The St. Louis Cardinals may have their best chance to make a move in the next two weeks, with the next 13 games against teams with losing records - seven of those coming against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals send sinker-ball specialist Jake Westbrook to the mound to begin that stretch Monday night at Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game series with the Pirates. The Cardinals have won seven of their last 10 and stand five games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central. The Pirates have lost 19 of 24 and are starting a 10-game home stand. The teams have split six games this season.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS-MW (St. Louis), ROOT (Pittsburgh).

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (9-6, 4.74 ERA) vs. Pirates RH James McDonald (7-6, 4.24 ERA).

Westbrook has allowed three runs or less in six of eight outings in July and August. He gave up three runs over eight innings in his last outing, losing to Milwaukee five days ago. Right-handed hitters are batting .316 against Westbrook for the season. He is 0-2 vs. Pittsburgh with a 5.00 ERA over 18 innings in his career. Ryan Doumit is 3-for-5 with an RBI against Westbrook.

McDonald gave up three runs in six innings, losing to San Francisco his last start. He has allowed three or less runs in 16 of 19 starts since April 21. McDonald did not get a decision, allowing two runs over 4 2/3 innings against St. Louis in his first outing of 2011. He is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings lifetime against the Cardinals. Allen Craig is 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs against McDonald.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (65-56): The St. Louis lineup is about as complete as it has been in awhile, with players returning from injuries and Yadier Molina back from suspension. Molina is 6-for-17 in five games since his return. Albert Pujols has started to heat up as well, going 17-for-41 with five homers and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games to raise his average from .275 to .288. Lance Berkman extended his hitting streak to nine games Sunday night, going 13-for-32 over that stretch. Craig is 0-for-9 since returning from a fractured kneecap.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (56-63): The Pirates have struggled to find ways to win games since July 19, mostly due to injuries and a punchless offense. Pittsburgh is near the bottom in team batting average and runs scored in the majors. Neil Walker has 67 RBIs, second on the team, but has just one hit and one RBI in his last 25 at-bats. Pedro Alvarez is likely to lose some of his time at third base to recently-recalled Josh Harrison after going 2-for-23 the last eight contests, seeing his average drop to .197. Ryan Ludwick has picked it up, going 11-for-35 the last 10 after being held without a hit his first three games with the Pirates.

FINAL PITCH: The Pirates placed Derrek Lee on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured bone in his left wrist. He had played just twice since Aug. 3, when he was hit on the wrist by a pitch from Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol.