ST. LOUIS -- For the third time in eight days, the Cardinals have had to postpone a home game due to rainy weather.With rain expected to continue to fall in the St. Louis area throughout the afternoon and evening, the Cards went ahead and made an early call to postpone

ST. LOUIS -- For the third time in eight days, the Cardinals have had to postpone a home game due to rainy weather.

With rain expected to continue to fall in the St. Louis area throughout the afternoon and evening, the Cards went ahead and made an early call to postpone Wednesday's game against the Brewers more than five hours before the 7:15 p.m. CT scheduled first pitch. They also announced that the start time for Thursday's series finale has been pushed back from 12:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

The organization is hopeful that stormy weather will push out of the area in time to play Thursday evening. A makeup date for Wednesday's postponed game will be determined at a later time. Fans with tickets to the game can save them for admittance to the makeup game.

The change in schedule means that Adam Wainwright will start for the Cardinals on Thursday. Lance Lynn , Mike Leake and Michael Wacha are now in line to pitch during the team's upcoming three-game weekend series in Atlanta.

St. Louis has accumulated more than six inches of rain in the past week, and another two inches was expected on Wednesday and Thursday. That has led to flooding in several areas within the region and has complicated the Cards' 10-game homestand.

The club made up its postponed game against the Blue Jays last week as part of a doubleheader. Now, the Cardinals will have to reschedule games against the Reds and Brewers for later in the season.