ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game series Monday night at Busch Stadium III, with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. under clear skies and 71 degrees.

San Diego (37-33) sends right-hander Dustin May (4-6) to the mound seeking to build on a 5-2 win Sunday at Baltimore. May has struggled with consistency this season but faces a Cardinals lineup that has lost three of its last four.

St. Louis (38-31) counters with right-hander Michael McGreevy, who took a no-decision Sunday at Minnesota despite allowing two earned runs over six innings in a 5-4 loss. McGreevy is 0-3 over his last four starts despite a 3.30 ERA in that span, as the Cardinals have provided him just 10 total runs of support.

The season series is tied 2-2. The Padres took two of three in San Diego from May 7-10, including a 3-2 win in the finale. The Cardinals’ lone victory in that set was a 6-0 shutout May 8.

Players to watch

For San Diego, right-hander Walker Buehler is a key arm after earning the win Sunday against Baltimore, allowing one run over five innings with five strikeouts. Buehler is 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA over his last three starts.

For St. Louis, shortstop JJ Wetherholt was the offensive spark Sunday, going 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. He has 10 RBIs over his last eight games.

Recent trends

San Diego has won three of its last four, averaging 5.8 runs per game. Catcher Rodolfo Durán homered and drove in three runs Sunday, and Mason Miller struck out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

St. Louis has lost three of four after winning eight of nine. The Cardinals’ bullpen has a 5.40 ERA over the last week.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 Cardinals victory.

Up next

The series continues Tuesday with the same matchup, followed by Wednesday’s finale before both teams hit the road: San Diego travels to Texas, and St. Louis visits Kansas City.