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Terrific pitching has lifted the St. Louis Cardinals past a sluggish stretch, and they're hoping Lance Lynn can follow suit.

Lynn looks to re-establish his dominance on the mound and help the Cardinals complete a series sweep of the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.

St. Louis (24-19) had lost eight of 10 entering this three-game set with San Diego (16-28), and the club is reversing that momentum behind some outstanding pitching.

The Cardinals got another gem Tuesday, when Adam Wainwright tossed a four-hitter while striking out nine in a 4-0 win over the Padres. That came a day after they won the opener of this series 4-3.

Those efforts were notable improvements from a staff which compiled a 5.44 ERA in those previous 10 games.

Now, Lynn (6-1, 2.31 ERA) will try to keep St. Louis rolling by rebounding from a pair of subpar outings.

The right-hander is surprisingly among baseball's leaders in wins thanks to winning his first six starts of the season behind a 1.40 ERA. However, he's 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in his last two.

Lynn allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings while not getting a decision in a 6-5 defeat to Los Angeles on Friday.

"I was throwing the ball well the whole game," Lynn said. "They just hit the ball well. Maybe make a little better pitch here or there, but I was throwing the ball where I wanted to. They were just getting hits."

He will be facing San Diego for the first time, trying to capitalize on a team that has a .218 average to rank among the worst hitting teams in the majors.

The Padres have been even worse at the plate recently, batting .191 with one homer and 12 runs while dropping four of six. They've mustered only a .172 average with nine runs in the past six meetings with the Cards, losing five.

Jeff Suppan (2-2, 3.00) gets the ball for the Padres, and he's very familiar with their offensive shortcomings.

The veteran right-hander has been backed by six runs in his four starts, getting just one in the last two. That's partly why he's lost both of those outings, but his 4.91 ERA hasn't helped, either.

A member of the Cardinals' 2006 World Series championship team, Suppan is 4-0 with a 2.87 ERA in seven games -- six starts -- in visits to his former club.

"I always loved playing here," Suppan told the team's official website. "These are some of the greatest fans in baseball. It's a family tradition here. Grandfathers take their grandsons and pass the traditions down. It's a fun place to play, and it makes you feel good to be part of a rich tradition."

Suppan will have to contend with Matt Holliday, who has pounded him by going 8 for 14 with two doubles and three homers.

The left fielder enters this meeting hitting .333 with three homers and seven RBIs in eight games, and is 15 for 28 with a pair of home runs while plating nine runs in his last eight meetings with the Padres.