Los Angeles @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 22, 2011 ) LA Dodgers 2, St. Louis 1

THE STORY: St. Louis will attempt to rebound from a stunning ninth-inning collapse when it hosts the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night in the second game of a four-game series. The Cardinals got a masterful performance from starting pitcher Chris Carpenter on Monday before allowing a pair of runs in the final frame of a 2-1 defeat. St. Louis now trails Milwaukee by nine games in the National League Central and is 9 1/2 games back of wild-card leader Atlanta.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, KCAL (Los Angeles), Fox Sports (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUPS: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (15-5, 2.60) vs. Cardinals RH Kyle Lohse (11-7, 3.33)

Kershaw has been one of the few bright spots in a lackluster season for Los Angeles, leading the National League in strikeouts (199) and wins. He has been particularly tough in his last two starts, giving up just one run in 16 innings while striking out 15 and walking one. Kershaw struggled in an April 16 loss over St. Louis (4 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 BB), but he has fared better in the past against the Cardinals, going 2-2 with a 3.76 ERA in seven career starts. St. Louis 1B Albert Pujols is 7-for-15 against Kershaw.

Lohse hasn't been overpowering, striking out just 82 hitters in 154 innings, but he has been an effective option for the Cardinals, particularly over the last month. In his last five starts, Lohse is 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA (though he did yield five unearned runs in a July 30 win over Chicago). He is 2-2 in seven career games (five starts) against the Dodgers, including an April 15 win this season (7 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K).

ABOUT THE DODGERS (58-69): Los Angeles was handcuffed by Carpenter for eight innings on Monday before coming through in the ninth, but the Dodgers' lineup has not had many such bright spots this year. The team has scored just 467 runs, the third-lowest figure in the major leagues. Starting pitching has been a strength, but the Los Angeles bullpen has been an erratic bunch, converting 27 of 36 save opportunities (75 percent) but have allowed more ninth-inning runs (0.49 per game) than any other team.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (67-61): St. Louis is the National League leader in most offensive categories, including runs scored (598) and batting average (.270), but the Cardinals have faded out of the playoff picture over the past month, losing a full 10 games on NL Central leader Milwaukee since July 26. The team is on pace to shatter a league record, however — St. Louis has grounded into 137 double plays this season, well within reach of the NL mark of 166 set by the Cardinals in 1958.

FINAL PITCH: St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday left Monday's game in the top of the eighth inning after an insect appeared to get stuck in his right ear. He is expected to be back in the lineup Tuesday.