Cardinals at Dodgers
Yadier Molina has an odd hitting streak going, and he looks to extend it to 14 games when the St. Louis Cardinals conclude their three-game series against the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. The veteran catcher has posted just two multi-hit performances during a stretch in which his batting average has increased only three points to .259.
Molina recorded one hit for the seventh consecutive game on Wednesday, and that was a home run in the Cardinals' 6-1 victory. Jedd Gyorko continued his early-season success by going 3-for-4 to raise his average to .331 (ninth-best in the National League) as St. Louis won for just the second time in seven games. The loss ended the Dodgers' eight-game winning streak and was just their second in seven overall games. Yasiel Puig is hitless in eight at-bats in the series as part of a 2-for-21 slump that has dropped his average to .229.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (2-1, 2.74 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Kenta Maeda (3-2, 5.03)
Wacha has gone four consecutive starts without a decision - pitching six innings each time - since beating Pittsburgh on April 19. He blanked San Francisco on four hits over six frames in his last outing, when he struck out five and issued three walks. Wacha is 1-2 with a 3.57 ERA in four career starts against the Dodgers and has experienced issues with Cory Seager (3-for-6) and Yasmani Grandal (3-for-8, one homer).
Maeda is pitching for the first time since May 10 due to a stint on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. The 29-year-old, who won his lone career start (two runs in 5 2/3 innings) against the Cardinals, allowed two runs and five hits over 8 1/3 frames against Pittsburgh in that outing. "I think it's going to be important that I pitch well the first time when I am back to get back into that rhythm of pitching well, building back again some of the routine," Maeda told reporters through an interpreter.
WALK-OFFS
1. Dodgers CF Joc Pederson (neck, head) could return after sitting out Wednesday - one night after being injured in a collision with Puig.
2. St. Louis CF Dexter Fowler is hitless in nine at-bats in the series and 0-for-19 over his last four games.
3. Los Angeles rookie LF Cody Bellinger is 2-for-12 over his last three contests.