ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — The Milwaukee Brewers visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at Busch Stadium III in a key early-season National League Central showdown, with the Cardinals holding a 20-14 record, one and a half games ahead of the Brewers (18-15).

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. under partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 71 degrees.

Milwaukee will send right-hander Kyle Leahy (3-3) to the mound. The Cardinals counter with right-hander Dustin May, who brings a 5-1 record into the contest.

May has been one of St. Louis’ most reliable starters. Over his past five outings, he has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.18 ERA. In his most recent start Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, May pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out three in a 4-1 loss. He earned wins in each of his three previous starts, including a six-inning, one-run effort April 21 at Miami.

The Brewers’ offense will look to get to May early. Milwaukee dropped two of three in Washington over the weekend, falling 3-2 on Sunday despite a strong start from Logan Henderson. Henderson, a key arm out of the bullpen, threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts in a losing effort.

Henderson has been a bright spot for Milwaukee’s pitching staff and will be a player to watch, whether in a starting role or as a long reliever. The Brewers have won three of their past five games, including a 13-1 rout of Arizona on April 30, but have struggled to produce consistent offense against top-tier arms.

St. Louis, meanwhile, took two of three from the Dodgers over the weekend, winning 3-2 on Saturday and 7-2 on Friday before the 4-1 loss Sunday. The Cardinals have won seven of their past 10 games.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, St. Louis is projected to win 6-4. Despite that projection, Milwaukee enters as a -1.5 favorite on the run line. The over/under is set at 8 runs.

Following Monday’s game, the two teams will meet again Tuesday and Wednesday at Busch Stadium. St. Louis then travels to San Diego for a four-game set, while Milwaukee returns home to host the New York Yankees for three games starting Friday.