It’s lefty versus lefty tonight, as Jaime Garcia and the St. Louis Cardinals (88-51) embark on their longest road trip of the season—10 games in 11 days—against John Lamb and the Cincinnati Reds (57-80) for Game 1 of their four-game set at the Great American Ball Park. Who will get the first win in this series? Will the Cards remind us again why they own best record in the majors? Or will the Reds pull off the improbable upset?
Read on below for a detailed breakdown of this NL Central showdown. And if you’re craving for other sports action, check out our Week 1 previews for the upcoming 2015-16 NFL season: Panthers vs. Jaguars, Packers vs. Bears and Colts vs. Bills.
[sc:MLBArticles ]St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview
Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
When: Thursday, September 10, 7:10 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (-133) vs. Cincinnati Reds (+123); total: 8.0— View all MLB Lines
Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
Following a thrilling come-from-behind win at home versus the Cubs last night, the St. Louis Cardinals now put their trust on Jaime Garcia (8-4, 1.89 ERA) to lead them on the mound for the first encounter of their four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds this evening.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Garcia has been flat out dominant for the Cards over his past seven starts, holding an untarnished record of 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA. That stretch includes his last turn against Pittsburgh on September 5, where he pitched seven scoreless innings and registered nine strikeouts to his name for the 4-1 victory.
Furthermore, the 29-year-old veteran, who aims for his sixth-straight win later, has shown great confidence in his seven road starts this year, owning a 4-2 record and a 1.94 ERA. But it’s worth noting that Garcia’s last defeat was against the Reds on July 28, during which he surrendered three earned runs and four hits in over six innings for the inevitable 4-0 loss.
That being said, the Cards will expect the ever-reliable Matt Carpenter to lead them in providing timely runs at on offense. Carpenter has gone 6-for-19 (.316) across his previous five starts, while carrying a .327 batting average with five homers and 31 RBIs opposite Cincinnati throughout his five-year career in the majors.
St. Louis is 8-2 in Garcia’s last 10 turns.
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Betting on the Cincinnati Reds
It’s safe to say that the Cincinnati Reds, who are dead last in their division and are more than 20 games short of the final wild card spot in the National League, won’t be making the playoffs for the second-straight time this year. But the Reds still have time to end their 2015 campaign on a good note. A victory tonight at the expense of their division rivals, St. Louis Cardinals, would be a good start in doing so.
For that to happen, they’ll need a strong pitching performance from John Lamb (0-3, 6.11 ERA). Lamb toes the rubber later, marking just his sixth career start. In his last turn, the rookie got the no-decision, while allowing six earned runs on nine hits through 5 2/3 frames for the eventual 8-6 loss to the Brewers Saturday afternoon.
Prior to that, though, Lamb pitched well at Milwaukee on August 30, logging in six innings of two-run ball despite garnering his third loss of the season. Across three starts at Great American Ball Park, he is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA, a 1.75 WHIP and .333 opponents’ batting average.
With Lamb likely to continue his struggle, the onus is on Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto to provide the rookie some offense. Votto continues to hold a hot bat this month, going 10-for-27 (.370) along with five RBIs and two homers across eight contests. He’s also performed well versus the Cards’ starter, Jaime Garcia, hitting .290 throughout his career off the lefty.
Cincinnati is 0-5 with Lamb starting this season.
Writer’s Prediction:
St. Louis (-133) wins, 6-1.
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