Starting pitcher Lance Lynn will get another shot to prove he deserves to stick in the St. Louis Cardinals rotation for the playoff run.
Lynn will replace the injured Jake Westbrook and pitch Thursday's game against Josh Beckett and the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Cardinals try to hold off the Dodgers for the second and final Wild Card spot.
Lynn (14-7, 4.04 ERA) was removed from the rotation in late August after struggling, but Westbrook's oblique injury opens the door for Lynn to show he's regained the form that led him to an 8-1 start to the 2012 season. Thursday's start will be the first for Lynn since Aug. 24, when he gave up four runs in two innings against the first-place Cincinnati Reds.
Thursday's game is the first of a pivotal four-game road series in Los Angeles that could go a long way in determining who makes the playoffs.
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