The Cardinals open a three-game road series Friday against the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 6:07 p.m.
Right-hander Erick Fedde (8-9, 3.39) will take the mound for the Cardinals. It will be the fourth straight American League opponent Fedde will face.
He's lost four straight decisions, though he has a 3.90 ERA in that five-game stretch.
One of his worst starts of the year came on May 20 at Toronto. Then with the White Sox, Fedde gave up a season-high five earned runs in suffering his first loss of the season.
The Blue Jays will counter with right-hander Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.09), a 33-year-old who has spent most of his 12 seasons in the American League.
A year after finishing third in the Cy Young race, Gausman's ERA has jumped a run this season, but he has been better of late.
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Over the last month-plus, he has put up a 2.56 ERA. Gausman's best pitch is his split-finger, which he throws nearly 34% of the time for a .176 batting average against.
The Cardinals are 74-72, 10 games out and third in the NL Central. The Redbirds, six games out of the final wild-card spot, are 13-8 in their last 21 games.
The Blue Jays are 69-78, last in the AL East. They've lost four straight series. Their run differential, at minus-55, is five games better than the Cardinals' minus-60.
Toronto has averaged just over 90 wins from 2021-23, making the playoffs two of those years.
Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with a .941 on-base plus slugging percentage, ranks seventh in baseball.
This will be the Cardinals' fourth trip to Toronto, most recently a two-game split in 2022. The Redbirds won two of three from the Jays in the two visits prior to that, in 2010 and 2014.
Toronto and pitcher Bowden Francis lost a no-hit bid in the ninth inning in its last game, a 1-0 loss to the Mets on Wednesday.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Alec Burleson, DH
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Brendan Donovan, LF
6. Thomas Saggese, 2B
7. Lars Nootbaar, RF
8. Pedro Pag茅s, C
9. Michael Siani, CF
P: Erick Fedde, RHP
BLUE JAYS
1. George Springer, DH
2. Nathan Lukes, LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B
4. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
5. Will Wagner, 2B
6. Alejandro Kirk, C
7. Addison Barger, RF
8. Ernie Clement, SS
9. Joey Loperfido, CF
P: Kevin Gausman, RHP
Injury report
Willson Contreras (fractured finger):听罢丑别听catcher fractured the middle finger on his right hand when struck by a pitch Aug. 24. He will be evaluated Monday, and he may be able to resume some baseball-related activities that day. Monday is the earliest he and the club will know how possible a return to play is for this season.聽Updated Sept. 12