Reds vs. Cardinals: Pitching preview, prediction, and more

Despite a yeoman’s effort, Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer has hit the wall.

Let’s be honest, no one could have anticipated Kyle Farmer making 103 starts by the end of August, but MLB’s July shortstop of the month is struggling mightily as the Reds race to the finish line in hopes of playing into October.

Following a sizzling July that saw the Georgia native slash .395/.456/.691 with a ridiculous 1.147 OPS, the past four weeks have been equally cruel. Producing a horrific slash line of .239/.260/.337 it’s evident Farmer needs some time off.

As the only legitimate shortstop on the roster, no, I’m not including Eugenio Suárez, Farmer may have to wait a couple of days before some much-needed rest arrives. After the Reds claimed Asdrubal Cabera off waivers on Friday, the front office sent Jose Barrero to Louisville to make room for the veteran.

Luckily, rosters expand to 28 players on Wednesday, and there should be no reason for them not to bring Barrero back to Cincinnati. Despite collecting just two hits in a dozen at-bats, the Reds shortstop of the future should receive some playing time down the stretch.

There’s certainly an argument to be made against giving a rookie significant playing time in September with a playoff berth at stake. Still, at this point, Kyle Farmer is not providing anything Barrero could not equal with regular playing time.

Prediction

Is it too early to start thinking about magic numbers? Of course, not. The Reds’ magic number to clinch a postseason berth is 30 entering tonight. So any combination of 30 Redleg victories or Padre losses and your Cincinnati Reds will be playoff-bound.

But first things first. The Reds need to take care of business against the dreaded Cardinals to start chipping away at that magic number. As the Redbirds leave town and the Detroit Tigers enter for a weekend series, expect that magic number to be decreased by at least a couple of games as the Reds take two of the three from St. Louis.