St. Louis @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2013 ) St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 7

The Cincinnati Reds are starting to look like the offensive juggernaut they were expected to be, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Reds rocked St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright in a 7-2 victory to open a critical four-game series and will try to make it two straight against the visiting Cardinals on Tuesday. Cincinnati is seven games ahead of Arizona for the second wild card, 3 1/2 games behind National League Central leader Pittsburgh and 2 1/2 back of St. Louis.

The Cardinals are counting on rookie Michael Wacha, the organization's No. 2 prospect according to MLB.com, to quiet the Reds' bats after the threw four scoreless innings in relief against Cincinnati last week. "The way he threw the ball the other day - it was not like we were doing tryout camp - but he made it very obvious that he's the guy we want to see out there," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told reporters. "He looked great." St. Louis leads the season series 10-6, but the Reds have won the last two meetings.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (2-0, 3.78 ERA) vs. Reds RH Homer Bailey (9-10, 3.55)

Wacha gets the nod for his first major-league start since Aug. 10, in no small part because of his relief work against the Reds last week. He struck out seven and allowed three hits in his four frames. The 22-year-old rookie was effective, for the most part, during his first turn in the rotation, allowing two runs or fewer in three of his four starts.

Bailey has won four straight decisions and recorded three consecutive quality starts as he rides another crest in an up-and-down campaign. The 27-year-old shut out St. Louis for 7 1/3 innings last time out, striking out seven and allowing five hits. It was a rare victory over the Cardinals as he is 4-9 with a 5.13 ERA in 16 starts against them.

WALK-OFFS

1. Five Cardinals regulars boast averages or .300 or better versus Bailey, led by 2B Matt Carpenter, who is 8-for-13 against the right-hander.

2. Reds SS Zack Cozart is 11-for-26 with five RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.

3. St. Louis RF Carlos Beltran has missed two straight games with tightness in his lower back and C Yadier Molina left in the fifth inning Monday with a sore left wrist. Both are listed as day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Reds 5, Cardinals 4