Reds vs Cardinals: Preview, pitching matchups and prediction

Previewing the pitching matchups: Reds vs Cardinals

Antony DeSclafani. Remember him? Disco (1-1 5.71 ERA) makes his first start in 10 days opposing fellow right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-2 3.32 ERA). DeSclafani recently activated from the paternity list following the birth of a son is looking for a rebirth of his early 2020 season success.

In his past two starts, DeSclafani has allowed 11 runs in only 6.1 innings while also issuing six free passes. His last start came against the Cardinals on August 21st in St. Louis and he was erratic at best.

Tossing 4.1 innings, Disco surrendered two runs on three hits and walked four while only fanning two Redbirds in 4-2 Reds victory. Reds Country is hoping to see the return of the DeSclafani that opened the 2020 campaign with 11 scoreless innings.

I’m not sure how he does it, but Dakota Hudson has a strange voodoo over the Reds. Lifetime he’s undefeated in three decisions with an excellent 3.38 ERA and he appears to be gaining confidence against the Redlegs. In his last two starts, he’s whiffed 14 Reds in just 12.1 innings of work. Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart is just 1-for-9 against Hudson in his career with three punchouts.

For the middle contest of the three-game set, Reds ace Sonny Gray (5-1 1.94 ERA) squares off against Cardinals lefty Kwang Hyun Kim (1-0 1.08 ERA). What more can you say about Sonny Gray? At this point in time, his trade from the Yankees to the Queen City is one of the best deals in the team’s history.

Currently, Gray has an MLB record of 40 consecutive starts of allowing six hits or less and there’s every reason to believe it will be stretched to 41 games. In his last 17.2 innings versus Redbird hitters, he’s allowed just 10 hits and two earned runs while recording 20 strikeouts. Gray is currently tied for the NL league with 55 punchouts and is fourth in ERA.

Southpaw Kwang Hyun Kim has had no issues adjusting to the major leagues. After spending a dozen years in the Koren League, Hyun Kim has been nearly un-hittable in his last two starts. Hurling 12 innings he’s failed to yield an earned while limiting opponents to just six hits. He earned his first MLB victory on August 22nd in a 3-0 Cardinal win over the Reds in St. Louis.

The series finale has Tyler Mahle (1-1 3.91 ERA) battling rookie Johan Oviedo (0-1 3.60) of the Cardinals. Mahle is coming off one of the best starts of his big league career. After surrendering two homers in the opening inning he didn’t allow another hit over 6.2 frames while fanning 11 Cubs in a Reds victory. Over his last 15.2 innings, Mahle has recorded a whopping 22 strikeouts.

However, Mahle did struggle in his earlier start this year against the Cardinals. Lasting just three innings, he allowed three runs on five hits while issuing two free passes and committing a balk as St. Louis handed the Reds a 4-2 defeat. Let’s hope Mahle’s last start was the beginning of a streak of positive outings for the 25-year-old right-hander.

Johan Oviedo will be making his third big league start and his first against the Reds. Tossing 10 innings, he’s allowed six hits while issuing four walks and striking out five. Per FanGraphs Oviedo relies on a fastball and a slider more than 86% of the time. However, he will drop in an occasional curve. With a fastball that averages 95.5 MPH and a curve at 76.9 MPH, he could be a handful if he’s able to locate his pitches.