The Cincinnati Reds (30-35) are on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals (27-38) at Busch Stadium on Sunday with the three-game series in the balance.
The Reds leveled the series 1-1 after winning 8-4 on Saturday, their third head-to-head victory in six games this season. Starter Andrew Abbott threw 5.2 scoreless innings to get the win.
Luke Maile was 2 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs in the win. Dylan Carlson went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs for the Cardinals. Nolan Arenado added a solo home run.
ON THE MOUND
Hunter Greene (1-4, 4.18 ERA) is set for the start for Cincinnati. The right-hander is tied for fifth in the NL in strikeouts (88). Greene allowed one run over six innings in his last start, an 8-2 road defeat against the Red Sox on June 1.
He gave up two hits while striking out eight and walking three in the no-decision. Greene is making his first appearance against the Cardinals this season.
Over four starts against the Cardinals in 2022, Greene was 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA over 19.1 innings. He had 27 strikeouts and nine walks.
For St. Louis, RHP Adam Wainwright (2-1, 5.97 ERA) will toe the rubber. He has made one prior start against the Reds this season, giving up five runs over 5.2 innings in an 8-5 road win on May 23. He gave up eight hits and walked one while striking out two in the win.
In his last start on Monday, Wainwright took a no-decision on the road against the Rangers. He threw 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on eight hits, striking out three and walking two in the 4-3 loss.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Cincinnati has averaged 5.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 4.6, while performing better across the board (.289/.356/.439). Against righties like Wainwright this season, the Reds have a .716 OPS.
Jake Fraley is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .866 OPS in 149 at-bats. St. Louis is averaging only 3.8 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.6 for the season.
The Cards have a .750 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .896 OPS over 176 at-bats, Paul Goldschmidt has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cincinnati is 13-17 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.6 runs per game while allowing 4.8 runs. St. Louis has gone 13-17 at Busch Stadium this season, averaging 5.5 runs per game while surrendering 5.1. St. Louis is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings at Busch Stadium with an average scoreline of 4.9-3.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Reds are third in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Pirates. The Cardinals are fifth in the NL Central, seven games behind the Pirates.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-140)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
