Cardinals, Dodgers Near The Top In Run Differential

While the rest of the baseball world takes part in interleague weekend, the Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals meet in Los Angeles in a battle of National League division leaders in what is likely the best matchup of the weekend in baseball. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 25-13, and Cardinals and Dodgers are two of the top four teams in run differential so far this season.

Ted Lilly looks for a team leading sixth win Friday night. He is 7-2 with a 2.38 in his last 10 home starts, though he only has 39 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings (5.46 per nine). During that same span, Lilly is 4-2 in eight road starts with a 1.88 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 48 innings.

Lance Lynn has allowed just nine runs in seven starts this season, and the only time St. Louis has lost a game with Lynn on the mound was in his last outing, when he had the audacity to allow three runs in six innings Sunday against the Atlanta Braves. In four road starts this year, Lynn has allowed three runs, good for a 1.01 ERA with eight walks and 26 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.

Notes

• The Cardinals come to town having lost five of their last seven games.
• Allen Craig, hitting .373/.424/.765 with five home runs in 13 games this season, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, per Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Kyle McClellan, who was not scheduled to pitch in this series, was also placed on the DL by St. Louis.
  
• Outfielder Trent Oeltjen, who was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday to make room on the 40-man roster for Elian Herrera, accepted his outright assignment and is back with the Triple A Albuquerque Isotopes.
  

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

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