Cardinals scratch Wacha to conserve innings

The St. Louis Cardinals will look to complete a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday without right-hander Michael Wacha on the mound.

Manager Mike Matheny told reporters prior to first pitch that the club is skipping Wacha's start to reduce the 24-year-old's workload. Wacha, who missed the final three months of the regular season last year with a stress fracture in his shoulder, has already exceeded his 2014 total by 50 innings.

Wacha, a first-time All-Star this season, is 15-4 with a 2.69 ERA across 25 starts.

Left-hander Tyler Lyons, recalled earlier from Triple-A, will start in his place.

The Nationals will counter with ace Max Scherzer as they attempt to snap St. Louis' four-game winning streak and keep pace in the National League East. Washington entered Wednesday 6 1/2 games back of the division-leading New York Mets.