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CWS@STL: Lynn fans 12 over 7 1/3 scoreless frames

June is over, and for that, Lance Lynn couldn't be happier.

The Cardinals right-hander, selected for the National League All-Star team on Sunday, rolled through the league for the first two months of the 2012 season but seemingly hit a roadblock in mid-June.

Lynn went 8-1 in May and started June strong but has allowed 17 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings over his last three starts. On Thursday he'll look to get back on track against the Rockies in St. Louis as the two clubs close out their four-game series.

"He's going to continue to learn," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Lynn, who is already approaching his innings total from 2011. "I don't think anybody thought he was going to keep rolling through the league. You're going to have your bumps. It's all about how you adjust to them."

Opposing Lynn will be Rockies left-hander Christian Friedrich, who held the Padres to one run on five hits while striking out five in his last time out. He ended up with a no-decision when the bullpen couldn't hold the lead.

Friedrich had been bothered by a bruised right calf but has recovered enough to make the start -- one he sees as very important, because he'll be wrapping up a series against the defending World Series champion.

"You want to win every game, but when things like that come along -- the opportunity to be the last guy before you get on the plane -- it's so much nicer to have a win, so it's a little more incentive," Friedrich said. "It will just put us on a good path."

The Cards took two of the first three games in the series, including Wednesday night's 4-1 victory.

Rockies: Outman headed to Tulsa
The Rockies optioned left-hander Josh Outman to Double-A Tulsa on Wednesday after he struggled with command, posting a 9.00 ERA in his seven starts.

He is headed for Tulsa and not Triple-A Colorado Springs because there is an opportunity for him to pitch in Tulsa on Friday.

"The message was very simple: The stuff that he possesses, let's do what we have to do to get it over the plate more consistently than he has done," manager Jim Tracy said.

• The Rockies are nearing the end of a stretch of 20 games without an off-day leading to the All-Star break. So far they are 6-10.

• With his first-inning single on Wednesday, Carlos Gonzalez extended his season-high hitting streak to 12 games. He is hitting .383 during the streak.

Cardinals: Salas makes adjustment
Reliever Fernando Salas recently made an adjustment in his positioning on the rubber. The results? So far so good.

Salas had been standing too far to the right on the mound instead of on the left side, where he stood when he notched a 2.28 ERA last season.

"Being on the right side, those pitches were more in the middle, because [I've] had more trouble on that side of the plate," Salas said through an interpreter. "By moving to the left side, [I'm] able to hit the corners a little bit better. [I] definitely feel better now, and [I'm] going to keep working on it."

• Injured lefty starter Jaime Garcia threw for the first time since he hit the disabled list on June 6 with an impingement in his left shoulder. Garcia said the shoulder felt good after playing catch from 60 feet.

• Since June 16, outfielder Matt Holliday is hitting .516 with four homers and 19 RBIs. That's the highest batting average in baseball during that stretch.

Worth noting
• The Cardinals have just three hits in 25 at-bats with men in scoring position this series.

• A Cardinals win on Thursday would mark their fourth straight series victory over the Rockies.

• With Wednesday's victory, St. Louis took the all-time series lead against Colorado, 83-82. The Cards are 45-38 in games played between the two teams in St. Louis.

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