St. Louis @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 25, 2012 ) St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 8
Adam Wainwright has delivered plenty of strong performances in big spots for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he'll try to add another to the list when the visiting Cardinals try to wrap up a series victory over National League Central leader Cincinnati. The Reds evened the series and restored their seven-game lead in the division with an 8-2 win Saturday, getting homers from Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips.
The Cardinals are clinging to slim hopes of catching Cincinnati for the division crown and trying to stay in line for one of the two NL wild card spots as they hand the ball to Wainwright, who has tossed complete games in two of his last four starts, including a five-hit shutout Tuesday against Houston. Cincinnati is in good shape to win its second division title in three years in large part because of the best home record in the majors at 42-23.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Ohio
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (12-10, 3.65 ERA) vs. Reds RH Homer Bailey (10-8, 4.11)
His early-season struggles behind him, Wainwright has pitched as well as ever recently, recording seven straight quality starts and winning his last four starts and his last five decisions. Wainwright hasn't had a ton of success against the Reds - he's 3-6 with a 4.39 ERA in 15 games (10 starts) against them - and he has lost both of his starts against Cincinnati this season.
Bailey already has a career high for wins, and he'll try to add to it after making a mechanical adjustment that led to a strong outing Tuesday at Philadelphia. He held the Phillies to three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 innings for his first quality start in nearly a month but didn't get a decision. Bailey is 3-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 11 starts against the Cardinals. He has split two starts against them this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Cardinals' active roster is a collective 40-for-122 (.328) against Bailey, with Matt Holliday (9-for-22) and Yadier Molina (6-for-13) leading the way.
2. The Reds haven't lost a series at Great American Ball Park since dropping two of three to Minnesota from June 22-24.
3. St. Louis SS Rafael Furcal is riding a seven-game hitting streak. Furcal is 6-for-19 (.316) against Bailey.