Cincinnati Reds: Last gasp for the postseason starts vs the Cardinals

The Reds visit Busch Stadium to face their NL Central nemesis.

The Cincinnati Reds “Disappointment Tour 2020” makes its final stop in St. Louis for the season. As the Reds make their way to the land of The Arch, it will be on the heels of another letdown against the division-leading Chicago Cubs.  After splitting the first two games of the series and jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the rubber match the wheels came off in the bottom of the 4th.

The Cubs plated five runs off Reds ace Sonny Gray to capture the series. Entering play today, the Cincinnati is a season-high 6.5 games back in the NL Central and haven’t won a series in over a month since taking 2-of-3 from the Brewers in Milwaukee August 7th through the 9th.

If the Cardinals qualify for the playoffs, they may want to consider giving a playoff share to the Reds. The Cardinals have dominated the Reds (19-25) again this season by winning five of their seven contests by a combined run total of 42-21. To say it’s become a miserable narrative would be an understatement.

Bolstered by a starting rotation that sits near the top of the National League rankings Cardinal, hurlers don’t need much support to secure a victory. When the Cardinals have scored three or more runs, their starters own an 11-3 record.  However, it’s been all or nothing for the Birds on the Bat on offense.

In their 19 victories, the Cardinals have scored 130 runs, yet in their 18 losses, they’ve only dented the plate 38 times. As a result of this wide discrepancy, the St. Louis Cardinals have only played in eight one-run games on the season and sport a 3-5 record in those contents.