Cincinnati @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Apr 8, 2010 ) St. Louis 1, Cincinnati 2
After starting the regular season by hosting the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds close out April by traveling to St. Louis, finishing a month that saw them play 14 of their 23 games against National League Central foes.
St. Louis enters the game having won its last five contests, including a four-game sweep of the Atlanta, the first time the Cardinals swept the Braves since 1989. The Cardinals also took two of three from Cincinnati in the season-opening series.
The Cardinals’ top brass suspected third base prospect David Freese was ready for the grueling task of handling the hot corner, and Freese proved them correct Thursday. He drove in six runs in a 10-4 win over the Braves, becoming the team’s first rookie to drive in six runs since that tag was put on first-year players prior to the 1957 season.
Outfielder Colby Rasmus went 2-for-2 with four runs scored and catcher Yadier Molina was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. St. Louis ranks second in the league in homers (28), with first baseman Albert Pujols belting seven and outfielder Colby Rasmus six. Pujols got a day off Thursday.
The Reds have won four in a row, including a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. In Thursday’s finale, Bronson Arroyo picked up his first win of the season and struck out seven, but his ERA is still a scary 6.37.
Four players - outfielders Laynce Nix, Jay Bruce, Levi Stubbs and second baseman Brandon Phillips - had two hits apiece, forming most of Cincinnati’s 10-hit attack. Both teams are in the bottom half of the NL in hitting, with St. Louis 10th (.251) and Cincinnati 11th (.245).
Cardinals starting pitcher Brad Penny (3-0) is making the most of pitching coach Dave Duncan’s tutelage, having won his last three decisions following a no-decision April 8 against the Reds. In that game, Penny still allowed one earned run on six hits in seven innings of work.
Penny has the lowest ERA (0.94) of any starter on the Cardinal roster and is a main reason why St. Louis sits atop the NL Central.
In contrast, Reds starter Johnny Cueto (0-1) is struggling with his consistency. He has allowed 14 runs on 26 hits in his four starts this month and has shown signs of control problems in two of his four starts.
Cueto allowed two runs and five hits in six innings against the Cardinals on April 7.