Cards-Braves rained out; twin bill today

ATLANTA -- The Cardinals will play their second doubleheader in five days on Sunday after Saturday night's scheduled game against the Braves at Turner Field was postponed due to inclement weather.

The first game is slated to begin at noon CT, with the second one to follow 30 minutes after the completion of Game 1. John Lackey, who was ready to make his final regular-season start Saturday, will pitch the first game. Lance Lynn will then make his scheduled start in Game 2. Neither pitcher is likely to be pushed beyond about 80 pitches.

This will be the Cardinals' third doubleheader of the season and the second on this road trip. The Cardinals and Pirates played two last Wednesday after storms postponed their game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. After the Pirates won the first game, the Cardinals rolled to a Game 2 victory that sealed their third straight division title.

Manager Mike Matheny had planned to play several of his regular position players -- including Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday, Jason Heyward and Kolten Wong -- for at least part of Saturday's game until it became clear that if the game were to be played, it would be in soggy conditions. Consequently, Matheny pulled all those players out during the delay and presented a revised lineup that ended up inconsequential with the eventual postponement.

Matheny will get most of his players onto the field Sunday. Adam Wainwright is expected to pitch an inning out of the bullpen to get in a third appearance this week. Stephen Piscotty, who has been cleared by Major League Baseball to return to the field after sustaining a mild concussion on Monday, is also expected to play. The one player Matheny noted he may stay away from entirely is Jhonny Peralta, whom the Cardinals want to rest after seeing signs of fatigue over the past few weeks.