MLB Topic

The St. Louis Cardinals are locked in a contentious NL Central race, and they have plenty of matchups with the other two contenders over the next two weeks.

 In the first of 13 games against the other top division rivals, the Cardinals will try to take sole possession of first place for the first time this month while topping the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. The Cardinals (76-54) haven't been alone in first place since July 29 and could have ended that drought by finishing off a four-game sweep of Atlanta. Instead, they fell 5-2 on Sunday to the NL East leader and remained tied for first with Pittsburgh after the Pirates' 4-0 loss in San Francisco the same day.


"We were looking to get the win and couldn't get it, but it was a really good series for us, winning three games out of four against a tough team," first baseman Allen Craig told the team's website. In his return to the rotation, Tyler Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA) will try to help St. Louis keep at least a share of the division lead and add to a slim 2 1/2-game edge over third-place Cincinnati (74-57). The rookie left-hander, starting in place of an injured Jake Westbrook, is 0-4 with a 7.66 ERA in his last five major league starts after winning his first two. 

Lyons gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss in Cincinnati on June 8. "(I'm) just sticking with what I was doing down (in the minors) and trying to use that here," he told the team's website. The Cardinals, however, haven't dropped many games to the Reds lately, winning eight of the 12 matchups this season and 12 of the past 18. They've also won 10 of 14 overall.

The Reds enter this series having won 13 of 19 but dropped two of three to lowly Milwaukee this weekend. They were shut out for eight innings in a 3-1 loss Sunday.

Lance Lynn and Mike Minor may be among the NL leaders in wins, but they're both seeking improvement.

Success from Lynn could be just what the St. Louis Cardinals need to gain sole possession of the NL Central lead. Lynn attempts to avoid a fourth straight start without a win, while Minor attempts to rebound from the shortest outing of his career in Sunday's finale of this four-game set with the Cardinals and Atlanta Braves.

Lynn (13-7, 3.97 ERA) is following up his career-best 18-win season with another impressive one, while Minor (12-5, 3.06) has set a personal-best in wins and his 145 strikeouts match his career high from last year. Both pitchers are playing a key role in St. Louis and Atlanta, respectively, bidding to return to the postseason.

Atlanta Braves vs St. Louis Cardinals August 25, 2013

The Cardinals (76-53) are tied with Pittsburgh atop the Central, while the Braves (7-52) are comfortably leading the East by 12 games on second-place Washington. 

 Lynn is 0-2 with a 5.50 ERA over his last three starts, losing his most recent 6-3 at Milwaukee on Tuesday.

He allowed six runs and nine hits in six innings, but five of those runs came in the fifth. "When you have that kind of stuff and you give up five runs on all singles -- they don't get any extra-base hits -- it's tough to swallow," Lynn told the team's official website. He's split his two career starts with Atlanta last year, allowing five runs with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings.