Cincinnati @ St. Louis preview
Busch Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2010 ) Cincinnati 6, St. Louis 1
If ever the St. Louis Cardinals needed a big game from ace Chris Carpenter, it would be today against the Cincinnati Reds.
St. Louis needs to take the rubber match of this weekend’s three-game series just to pull to within seven games of the National League Central-leading Reds.
The Reds beat the Cardinals 6-1 on Saturday - St. Louis’ ninth loss in its last 11 games.
However, the Cardinals (70-63) will have Carpenter (14-5, 2.92 ERA) on the mound today. He has always been a great big-game pitcher and has been a thorn in Cincinnati’s side this year, going 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA.
It’s nothing new, really. Carpenter has owned the Reds throughout his career. The former Cy Young Award winner is 11-3 over his career against Cincinnati with a 2.00 ERA in 17 outings, the most recent of which was a 7-3 win on Aug. 9. Carpenter allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five.
St. Louis swept the Reds in that series but hasn't been the same team since, losing 14 of its last 20 games.
Offense has been a huge problem for the Cardinals lately. They have been held to three or fewer runs in eight of their last 11 games and are hitting just .219 as a team over that stretch. If they’re going to go on a run, they’ll need a lot from their big hitters.
Albert Pujols has been in the middle of the NL Triple Crown discussion for most of the season and finally broke a nasty 0-for-18 slide with a single on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Reds (79-56) had the league’s best record in August (19-8) to take control of the division while the Cardinals spiraled out of the top spot. St. Louis began last month with a half-game lead over Cincinnati.
Joey Votto continues to lead the way for the Reds, hitting .360 with four home runs and 17 RBIs over his last 13 games. He’s now in the thick of the Triple Crown race, leading the NL with 97 RBIs, sitting second in batting average (.324) and third in home runs (32).
Homer Bailey (3-2, 4.92) gets the call today for the Reds. The 6-foot-3 starter has allowed nine runs over his last two outings and has had his fair share of problems against St. Louis. Bailey is 1-3 with a 6.04 ERA over six starts against the Cards this season.
Rookie sensation Aroldis Chapman worked another scoreless inning of relief for Cincinnati on Saturday. He hit 103 mph on the radar gun, but he did have to deal with his first base runner after issuing an eighth-inning walk. He got Pujols to ground into a double play to end the inning.