Cincinnati Reds Series Preview: St. Louis Showdown

After a rough series in Chicago, the Cincinnati Reds look to right the ship in St. Louis.

With the excitement from the 5-1 start to the season starting to wear off, the Reds are looking to get it back together heading into the weekend. Fresh off a sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, the Reds will travel to Busch Stadium to take on the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time in 2016. The rivalry has lost some of its luster in recent years with the Reds being non-competitive and the Cardinals continuing to dominate, winning 16 of the last 20 series and winning 22 of the last 25 series in Busch Stadium, but it will still be a big series for both teams and their fans regardless of recent outcomes.

Last year’s matchup

• Reds’ season record vs. STL: 7-12
• Season score: 68-53, Cardinals
• Reds’ record in Busch Stadium: 2-7

Cardinals scouting report

Per usual, the Cardinals are poised to be one of the top teams in the NL, picked by many to return to the playoffs for the sixth straight year. It was a slow start to the season for them, however, as they were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opening series. Behind an offense now ranking third in baseball in runs scored, they have since turned it around to win five of their last six, and now sit tied with the Reds for second place in the NL Central at 5-4.

St. Louis still has many familiar names, including Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina, but a new group of players has fueled their offensive fire. 28-year-old outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker has been the big surprise of the season for Cardinals fans early on, slashing .481/.484/1.000 with seven extra-base hits (three home runs). Right fielder and first baseman Stephen Piscotty has picked up where he left off after a solid rookie season, batting .281/.410/.500.

With Adam Wainwright and former Red Mike Leake struggling, the pitching staff hasn’t been quite as good as it was a year ago when they had a league-leading 2.94 ERA. But if those two can turn it around, look out. Jaime Garcia is throwing the ball as well as he ever has, while Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez continue to get better and better with more experience. That said, you don’t lead the league in ERA solely on the strength of the rotation. The Cardinals also have one of the best bullpens in the game, allowing eight combined runs and striking out 38 in 27 2/3 innings.

Probable pitchers

Game 1 (April 15, 8:15 p.m. ET)

• Tim Melville (0-0, 2.25 ERA, 6.96 FIP) vs. Carlos Martinez (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 3.05 FIP)

Game 2 (April 16, 2:15 p.m. ET) 

• Brandon Finnegan (0-0, 2.84 ERA, 3.45 FIP) vs. Adam Wainwright (0-1, 6.55 ERA, 5.94 FIP)

Game 3 (April 14, 8:05 p.m. ET) 

• Jon Moscot (1-1, 4.63 ERA, 5.62 FIP in 2015) vs. Michael Wacha (1-0, 3.48 ERA, 1.86 FIP)

Players to watch

• Reds: The entire bullpen

It’s almost easier to say the entire offense after the Reds scored only six runs in Chicago, but the bullpen is the bigger issue at the moment. After a solid first week, reality seems to have set in for the unit, as it allowed 13 runs to the Cubs in three games. The final two games were mostly out of reach when the meltdowns occurred, but the poor performance was especially costly on Monday when Finnegan’s great start was ruined. Walks have been a particular problem for the relief corps. A total of 23 free passes have been surrendered in just 34 innings, the most by any bullpen in baseball. To win in general, the Reds will need a better showing from the group moving forward, even more so against the Cardinals.

• Cubs: Matt Carpenter

Carpenter is the catalyst the makes the Cardinals’ offense go at the top of the lineup. The third baseman started off slow when the Cards were swept by the Pirates, going 1-for-his-first-11, but he’s been heating up since. Over his last 23 at-bats, he has eight hits — including three doubles and a homer — has driven in eight runs and scored five times. Keeping Carpenter at bay will be vital for the Reds in this series. Even if he’s not hitting the ball well, he knows how to work a count and will take a walk, which, as previously mentioned, has been an issue for Cincinnati pitching.

Injury report

Devin Mesoraco remains on the mend from quad tightness. With the weather getting warmer this weekend, perhaps he’ll return to the lineup at some point this weekend. The Reds will get a pair of players back, though, as Zack Cozart is back in the lineup for game one and Moscot is expected to be activated from the disabled list to take the mound for his first start of the season on Sunday. Homer Bailey and John Lamb pitched in an extended spring training on Monday. Lamb’s next start could be with one of the Reds’ minor-league affiliates, while Bailey is expected to throw one more extended spring training game before heading out on a rehab assignment, according to the Enquirer’s C. Trent Rosecrans. Michael Lorenzen has not been able to rehab yet, as he’s dealing with mononucleosis. Finally, Anthony DeSclafani threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, but there’s been no announcement on when he could return.

Like the Reds, the Cardinals have seen the injuries pile up so far. Coming into the season, the team knew it wouldn’t have starting pitcher Lance Lynn (Tommy John surgery). Now another pitcher, Marco Gonzales, is also set to undergo the same surgery. Starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta will be out until at least June after tearing a ligament in his left thumb. Ruben Tejada, brought in to be the placeholder at short, is also on the 15-day DL with a quad strain. Other players currently out of commission include former Reds catcher Brayan Pena (left knee surgery), outfielder Tommy Pham (left oblique strain), reliever Jordan Walden (lat strain) and reliever Mitchell Harris (right arm compression syndrome).