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8.5 games behind the surging Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves engaged in yet another must-win series Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers come to Busch Stadium for a three-game series. Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, and Jaime Garcia will take the mound for the Cardinals, who will face top Dodger dogs Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda in games two and three.
The Cardinals could be without one of their two Dodgers shortstop imports early in the series, as Rafael Furcal continues to feel the effects of a sprained thumb suffered pre-game in the Cardinals' series with the Cubs. Ryan Theriot, the former Dodger Furcal replaced, could start in his absence, although the team seems to see him primarily as a second baseman after an awful defensive season.
The Cardinals are 10-9 in August after going 24-28 in June and July, but the rebound hasn't been enough to catch the surging Brewers. The two teams will play six games head-to-head in the final month of the season.