Cincinnati @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 8, 2016 ) Cincinnati 4, St. Louis 5

The St. Louis Cardinals registered a stunning comeback in the series opener and look to ride the momentum to another victory when they host the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday in the second contest of their three-game set. The Cardinals were one out away from being blanked on Monday before erupting for five ninth-inning runs to post a 5-4 victory.

The winning run came across when Yadier Molina was hit a pitch with the bases loaded, helping St. Louis pull into a tie with Miami for the National League's second wild card. "You trust in each other, and that was one of those next men up," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said afterward. "There was nobody with that huge home run. It was just one right after the other, whether it's a hit batsman, whether it's walks or whether it's a big hit. Play the game, good things can happen." The collapse dropped Cincinnati to 1-3 on its nine-game road trip and greatly irritated manager Bryan Price. "It's miserable," Price said afterward. "It's a miserable feeling, but we've just got to come back tomorrow and win the game and get this feeling out of our system."

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds LH Brandon Finnegan (7-8, 4.45 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Mike Leake (8-9, 4.80)

Finnegan has pitched 12 scoreless innings while winning his last two starts and has been victorious in four of his last five turns. The 23-year-old allowed 12 homers in a six-start span prior to the two stellar outings and has served up 22 on the season. Finnegan scattered two hits over six scoreless frames while beating the Cardinals on Thursday and is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in six career appearances (four starts).

Leake was torched for seven runs and eight hits in five innings by his former club when matched against Finnegan last week and is 0-1 with a 10.32 ERA in two career starts versus the Reds. He has posted a 10.69 ERA over his last three outings - giving up at least six runs in each turn - while allowing 27 hits in 16 frames. Leake has struggled at home, registering a 2-5 record and 4.57 ERA in 10 starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cardinals 2B Matt Carpenter (oblique) was 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the opener after being removed from Saturday's contest and sitting out on Sunday.

2. Cincinnati CF Billy Hamilton, who stole two bases on Monday and is tied for most in the majors with 45, is 17-for-19 against St. Louis C Molina - the most steals by anyone against the respected catcher.

3. St. Louis was 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position on Monday - with both hits occurring in the ninth inning - and is a woeful 7-for-55 in that situation over its last seven games.

PREDICTION: Reds 5, Cardinals 3