Cards to call on Lyons for Tuesday's doubleheader

ATLANTA -- With the flexibility to add an extra player to the roster for next Tuesday's doubleheader, the Cardinals are expected to summon left-hander Tyler Lyons from Triple-A to make a spot start in one of the two games. An official announcement will be made closer to the date.

Lyons has pitched exceptionally well since being sent out of the St. Louis rotation in mid-June. In his six starts following the demotion, Lyons has posted a 1.33 ERA and held opponents to a .118 batting average. He has 37 strikeouts and only eight walks in 40 2/3 innings.

The string of strong starts includes his most recent on Thursday. In Memphis' 5-0 win over Round Rock, Lyons threw seven scoreless innings. Pitching next Tuesday would allow for Lyons to take a normal four days of rest.

"I think we want to go with the guy who is throwing the ball the best," manager Mike Matheny said. "He's been very consistent since we sent him down. He's been as good as anybody could expect him to be."

Inserting Lyons into the rotation for one turn will also allow the Cardinals to send one lefty to the mound during a five-game series against a Pittsburgh team that has a pair of left-handed impact bats in Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones.