Hot-hitting Nolan Gorman will be looking to extend his 13-game hitting streak as the St. Louis Cardinals (22-28) face off against the Cincinnati Reds (20-28) at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday.
The Cardinals leveled the series 1-1 after winning 8-5 on Tuesday. Starter Adam Wainwright went 5.2 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, to get the win, and Ryan Helsley picked up his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.
Paul Goldschmidt was 2 for 4 with two solo home runs in the win. Brendan Donovan added a double and two runs. Matt McLain went 1 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs for the Reds. TJ Friedl added two doubles and one run.
ON THE MOUND
Steven Matz (0-5, 5.05 ERA) is set to take the mound for St. Louis. The lefty allowed one run (zero earned) over 4.2 innings in his last start, a 5-0 home defeat against the Dodgers on Friday. He took the loss, giving up six hits while striking out six and walking two. Matz is making his first appearance against the Reds this season.
Over three appearances (two starts) against the Reds in 2022, Matz was 3-0 with a 2.38 ERA over 11.1 innings. He had 14 strikeouts and three walks. Righty Ben Lively (1-2, 2.45 ERA) gets the start for Cincinnati. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cardinals.
In his last start on Friday, Lively took the loss at home against the Yankees. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits, striking out eight and walking one in the 6-2 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, St. Louis has averaged 5.8 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 5.2. Against righties like Lively this season, the Cards have a .769 OPS, fifth highest in MLB. Goldschmidt has the team’s highest on-base percentage against right-handers at .411 over 133 at-bats.
Cincinnati is averaging only 3.6 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.3 for the season. The Reds have a .709 OPS against lefties in 2023. With a .776 OPS over 40 at-bats, Kevin Newman has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 11-13 away from home in 2023, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Cincinnati has gone 13-13 at Great American Ball Park this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 5.7. In the last 10 meetings at Great American Ball Park, each club has won five, though St. Louis has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.2-4.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals are fourth in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Reds are fifth in the NL Central, six games behind the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
