The St. Louis Cardinals face the last-place Houston Astros to open a three-game series on Tuesday night. The Astros are a welcome sight for the Cardinals, as they are trying to fend off the Los Angeles Dodgers, and several others, for the final NL Wild Card spot.
Kyle Lohse takes the mound for St. Louis against Fernando Abad for Houston. Lohse's 2.81 ERA is among the league leaders, while Abad in winless is 34 appearances this season and is making just his fifth start.
The standings show the Cardinals just one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into Tuesday night. The Dodgers are facing a much tougher test, as they travel across the country to visit the Washington Nationals.
Cardinals
1. Jon Jay CF
2. Carlos Beltran RF
3. Matt Holliday LF
4. Allen Craig 1B
5. Yadier Molina C
6. David Freese 3B
7. Daniel Descalso 2B
8. Pete Kozma SS
9. Kyle Lohse P
Astros
1. Jose Altuve 2B
2. Scott Moore RF
3. Brett Wallace 1B
4. Justin Maxwell CF
5. Jed Lowrie SS
6. J.D. Martinez LF
7. Jason Castro C
8. Matt Dominguez 3B
9. Fernando Abad P