The Cincinnati Reds sent shockwaves across the majors when they shut out the league-leading St. Louis Cardinals in consecutive nights last week. They will look to extend their improbable winning streak against the Cards later on tonight when they host St. Louis in the opening game of their much-anticipated three-game set.
Who will emerge victorious in this series opener? Read on below for a breakdown of this divisional matchup and while you’re at it you can check out our previews of Giants vs. Braves and Cubs vs. Pirates.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
When: Tuesday, August 4, 7:10 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-135) at Cincinnati Reds (+125); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals will head to their six-game road trip with momentum on their side after beating the Colorado Rockies, 3-2, on Sunday. The Cardinals have now won nine of their last 12 games at Busch Stadium and have a Major League-best 40-16 record at home. The Cards will look to bring that excellent form to Great American Ball Park where they will face the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their three-game series.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Pitching for St. Louis in the series opener is John Lackey (9-6, 2.78 ERA). He will be making his team-high 22nd start this season. Lackey has been in excellent form of late as he has not yielded more than two runs in any of his last nine starts. During that stretch, the veteran has posted a 5-2 record with a 1.67 ERA. He allowed just two hits in eight innings against the Reds on July 29, but still picked up the loss in a gut-wrenching 1-0 decision.
He can’t do it all alone and he needs the Cards’ hitters to pick up the scoring slack as well. The good news for Lackey is that the Cards are showing signs that they are waking up from their offensive slumber. The Cards have scored a total of 21 runs in their last four games. They hit .326 with six home runs in taking three of four from the Colorado Rockies over the weekend.
Expected to lead the St. Louis offense tonight are Matt Carpenter and Jason Heyward. Carpenter is hitting 10-of-27 (.370) in his last seven games with three homers and five RBIs. Heyward, on the other hand, is batting 9-of-21 (.429) in his last seven outings with four walks and two RBIs.
Another guy who’s primed for a big game this evening is new recruit Brandon Moss. The former Indian is 3-for-6 in his career against Cincinnati starter Anthony DeSclafani with one homer and two RBIs. He recorded his first big hit for the Cardinals on Sunday, delivering a game-ending pinch-hit walk-off single in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies.
Over is 7-3 in the Cards’ last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds ended their four-game home stand on a sour note as they lost 3-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The Reds had no answer for Charlie Morton who hurled seven shutout innings in the series finale. He improved to 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his last six starts in Cincinnati.
With their offense in disarray right now, the onus is on Anthony DeSclafani (6-7, 3.75 ERA) to provide a solid start for Cincinnati tonight. He was superb in his last outing against the Cards, outpitching John Lackey in a narrow 1-0 victory. DeSclafani hurled seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out three and walking three. It was a great outing for DeSclafani who helped the Reds shut out the Cardinals for the second straight night. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career appearances against St. Louis.
Though DeSclafani silenced the Cards’ bats in his last outing, the rookie has had his problems in Great American Ball Park this year. The right-hander has lost three consecutive home starts and conceded six runs in each of his last two outings (11.2 innings). He has a 2-5 record in nine starts at home this season with an ERA of 5.69.
With DeSclafani still a big question mark at this point, the Cards hitters have to step it up on the offensive end. Fortunately for the Reds, they can rely on the hot bat of Joey Votto. The first baseman leads the Reds in hits (112) and walks (77) this season. He is fourth in the majors in on-base percentage with an incredible .432 clip.
He is 5-for-17 in his last six games with one homer, three RBIs and nine walks. Votto will fancy his chances of extending that hot streak later tonight against Lackey as he has fared extremely well against him in the past. He is 2-of-6 lifetime against Lackey with two homers and four RBIs.
The Reds are 2-3 in their last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (-135) wins, 4-2.
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