A pair of hot hitters are set to face off when the St.Louis Cardinals (75-54) take on the Cincinnati Reds (50-77) at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, as Jonathan India and his 12-game hitting streak host Brendan Donovan and his 11-game streak. The Cardinals took Monday’s series opener 13-4, their eighth head-to-head victory in 12 games this season. Chris Stratton threw 1.2 scoreless innings in relief to get the win. Tyler O’Neill was 2 for 4 with two home runs, three runs, and three RBIs in the win. Corey Dickerson went 3 for 5 with a home run and two runs. Stuart Fairchild went 2 for 4 with a solo home run for the Reds.
ON THE MOUND
Dakota Hudson (7-6, 4.33 ERA) is set to start for St. Louis. The righty allowed two runs over seven innings in his last start, an 8-3 road win over the Cubs on Thursday. He got the win, scattering five hits while striking out four and walking two. Over two previous starts against the Reds this season, Hudson has allowed six earned runs over 13.2 innings (1-1, 3.95). He has struck out six and walked six. For Cincinnati, righty Justin Dunn (1-2, 6.08 ERA) gets the ball. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cardinals. In his last start on Thursday, Dunn took the loss on the road against the Phillies. He threw six innings and gave up two runs on four hits, striking out five and walking two in the 4-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, St. Louis has averaged 7.4 runs a game, up from their season average of 4.9, while performing better across the board (.302/.362/.566). Against right-handed pitchers like Dunn this season, the Cards have a .745 OPS. Paul Goldschmidt is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .969 OPS in 358 at-bats. Cincinnati is averaging only 3.8 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.3 for the season. The Reds have a .675 OPS against right-handers in 2022, fifth lowest in the league. With a .618 OPS over 277 at-bats, Kyle Farmer has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 33-32 away from Busch Stadium in 2022, scoring 5.0 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Cincinnati has gone 26-37 at Great American Ball Park this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game while surrendering 5.3. St. Louis is 6-4 in the last 10 games between the NL Central rivals at Great American Ball Park with an average scoreline of 4.7-4.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by six games over the Brewers. The Reds are fourth in the NL Central, 24 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
