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

The Reds cannot allow Paul Goldschmidt to beat them.

Three home runs and five RBI’s. That was the total damage St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt, inflected on the Reds the last time the two teams met. If it makes Reds Country feel any better, Goldy has been an equal opportunity abuser as of late.

After compiling a solid, but unspectacular .265/.335/.432 slash line during the first half of the season, the right-handed slugger has been punishing opponents post-All-Star break. During the month of August, Goldschmidt slashed .350/.402/.602 with an amazing 1.004 OPS that included five round-trippers and 24 RBIs.

His four long balls versus the Reds are twice as many as he has against any other opponent this season. Goldschmidt has also shared the punishment among the Reds starting rotation. Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, and Wade Miley have each surrendered at least one gopher ball to the Texan this year.

Additionally, it’s impossible to get too comfortable even when you get ahead in the count versus the six-time All-Star. When Goldschmidt falls behind 0-1 in the count, he’s still hitting an amazing .435 with four home runs this year.

You don’t want to give into Goldy because the guy hitting behind him is not the same hitter outside of the thin Colorado air. It’s painfully obvious third baseman Nolan Arenado is not in Colorado anymore. Arenado has struggled mightily in the second half, slashing .232/.294/.483 with 12 homers and 35 ribbies. His August was especially putrid.

Producing a slash line of just .212/.278/.433, Arenado is on pace for a career-worst batting average over the course of a full season since entering the major leagues in 2013. If given a choice, Reds’ manager David Bell should do everything in his power to bypass Goldschmidt and pitch to the not nearly as dangerous as he used to be Arenado.