ST. LOUIS -- Add Mother Nature to the small list of things capable of slowing down the red-hot Cardinals.
Sporadic, heavy showers kept St. Louis from getting the chance to complete a three-game sweep of Kansas City on Sunday afternoon. But manager Mike Matheny said the inclement weather shouldn't force any changes to his team's preparation or slow the momentum they've gained on their sixth win streak of at least three games this season.
"I like the way the guys have been competing, but it's out of our control so you don't really allow yourself to be disappointed," Matheny said. "It looked like it could miss us and they made a good call to hold on. It could have got into the first inning and had a mess on our hands and lost our starter."
Instead, John Lackey said he never went beyond just playing catch, so he'll be fine to pitch against Minnesota on Monday night at Busch Stadium. The Twins had lost five games in a row before a 4-3 win at Texas on Sunday afternoon.
Matheny said Tyler Lyons' impressive performance Saturday in his first win since 2013 means the Cardinals likely won't skip his spot in the rotation on Friday at Philadelphia, even with the extra day of rest. That could still change, though, with more rain in the forecast over the next two days before St. Louis heads to Minnesota on Wednesday.
It's the second time this season the Cardinals have been part of a postponed game; they play two in Chicago on July 7 to make up for the matchup originally scheduled for April 7. Kansas City and St. Louis aren't scheduled to meet again this season, but they have mutual off days July 23 and Aug. 3.
Both teams will head into Monday leading their respective leagues, with St. Louis at least 4 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first in the majors at 41-21.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
