A pair of hot hitters are set to face off when the St.Louis Cardinals (75-55) take on the Cincinnati Reds (51-77) at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, as Jonathan India and his 13-game hitting streak host Brendan Donovan and his 12-game streak with the three-game series in the balance. The Reds evened up the series 1-1 after winning 5-1 on Tuesday, their fifth head-to-head victory in 13 games this season. Derek Law threw two scoreless innings in relief to get the win. Alejo Lopez went 3 for 3 with one run in the win. India added two runs on two hits. Tommy Edman was 1 for 3 with a solo home run for the Cardinals.
ON THE MOUND
Jose Quintana (4-6, 3.45 ERA) is set for the start for St. Louis. The lefty allowed four runs (two earned) over five innings in his last start, an 11-4 road defeat against the Braves on Friday. He was charged with the loss, scattering seven hits while striking out three and walking two. Quintana has made one previous start against the Reds this season, a 1-0 home victory on May 15. He allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one. Southpaw Mike Minor (3-10, 6.10 ERA) will toe the rubber for Cincinnati. He has made one prior start against the Cardinals this season, giving up five runs over four innings in a 6-3 home defeat on July 23. He gave up eight hits and walked four while striking out three in the loss. In his last start on Friday, Minor got the win on the road against the Nationals. He threw seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out seven, in the 7-3 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, St. Louis has averaged 6.0 runs a game, up from their season average of 4.9, thanks in part to improved slugging (.485 vs .429). Against lefties like Minor this season, the Cards have a .808 OPS, the highest in MLB. Paul Goldschmidt is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a 1.333 OPS in 99 at-bats. Cincinnati is averaging 4.8 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.3 for the season. The Reds have a .711 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .921 OPS over 118 at-bats, Kyle Farmer has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 33-33 away from home in 2022, scoring 4.9 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Cincinnati has gone 27-37 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game while surrendering 5.3. In the last 10 games at Great American Ball Park between the NL Central rivals, each club has won five, though Cincinnati has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 4.9-4.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by six games over the Brewers. The Reds are fourth in the NL Central, 23 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
