The Cardinals begin a six-game homestand Friday with the first of three against the Nationals. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m.
Right-hander Sonny Gray (10-6, 3.54) will take the mound for the Cardinals.
In his last four starts, Gray has a 6.17 ERA. He's allowing batters to hit .330 against him with a 42% hard-hit rate.
The Nationals will counter with left-hander MacKenzie Gore (6-8, 4.20).
The Cardinals scored five runs in 3 1/3 innings vs. Gore earlier this month in Washington, a game in which Gore walked five Redbirds.
In his three most recent games starting with that one, Gore has a 10.80 ERA and hasn't completed the fifth inning.
The Cardinals are 53-49, second in the NL Central and six games out of first. Ƶ scored three total runs in losing two of three at Pittsburgh earlier this week.
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Ƶ took three of four in Washington earlier this month in the teams' only other meeting. The Cardinals scored six or more runs in all four of those games, the team's longest-such streak of the year.
Friday's pregame ceremonies feature reunions of both the Cardinals' 2004 National League title team as well as the 1964 World Series champs. Those festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.
The Nationals are 47-56 and fourth in the NL East after being no-hit by San Diego's Dylan Cease on Thursday in the finale of a three-game Padres sweep in which Washington tallied 11 total hits.
Before that Padres series, Washington combined to win five of six from a pair of NL Central foes in Milwaukee and Cincinnati.
The Nationals are trending in the wrong direction this month. In July, Washington's .690 OPS and its 5.15 ERA are both third-worst in the National League.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Willson Contreras, DH
3. Alec Burleson, LF
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
6. Brendan Donovan, 2B
7. Dylan Carlson, RF
8. Pedro Pagés, C
9. Michael Siani, CF
P: Sonny Gray, RHP
NATIONALS
1. CJ Abrams, SS
2. Lane Thomas, RF
3. Jesse Winker, DH
4. Juan Yepez, 1B
5. James Wood, LF
6. Keibert Ruiz, C
7. Luis Garcia Jr., 2B
8. Trey Lipscomb, 3B
9. Jacob Young, CF
P: MacKenzie Gore, LHP
Injury report
Tommy Edman (wrist surgery): Will resume his rehab assignment Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and be in the starting lineup at designated hitter. He had his rehab assignment interrupted by a sore ankle that required an anti-inflammatory injection and more than a week of rest. That delayed his return to the majors. He has yet to play in the field on his rehab assignment. Edman has not yet appeared in the majors this season due to offseason wrist surgery. Updated July 24
Riley O'Brien (flexor tendon): Felt good after his second appearance for Class AAA Memphis on his rehab assignment. O'Brien remains under scrutiny for his healthy, and will be until he's able to appear on back-to-back days for the Redbirds. His next outing is Friday. At some point within the next two weeks, if his outings continue to go well and he recovers well, the evaluation will shift from health to baseball performance. That will determine his return to majors. His fastball traveled consistently between 95 mph and 97 mph in his Triple-A outing. Updated July 24
Steven Matz (lower back stiffness): Matz threw his second bullpen session Saturday after resuming his throwing program. He is doing his workouts at Busch Stadium. Matz is looking toward an August return, if possible. Updated July 19