St. Louis @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 15, 2011 ) St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 6
THE STORY: When the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, they often do it in dramatic fashion. Cincinnati's 6-5 walkoff win Friday - on the strength of Brandon Phillips' two-run homer - followed a 9-8, 13-inning win in the teams' previous meeting last week in St. Louis. The host Reds will try to make it three straight over their archrivals when the teams play Saturday. Cincinnati's win tightened the National League Central Division race as four teams are separated by three games.
TV: 7:10 p.m ET, FS Ohio (Cincinnati), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Bronson Arroyo (7-7, 5.58 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Chris Carpenter (4-7, 3.85).
Arroyo is 7-11 with a 4.67 ERA in his career against St. Louis. The Cardinals tagged him for five earned runs in 6 1/3 innings July 6, though Arroyo got a no-decision. Lance Berkman has five homers in 52 at-bats against Arroyo while Matt Holliday is 10-for-32 (.313) with two homers and three doubles. Carpenter loves facing the Reds - he is 13-4 with a 2.29 ERA in 21 career starts. He beat Cincinnati 1-0 on July 4, allowing six hits over eight innings. Joey Votto is 12-for-29 (.414) with two homers against Carpenter, while Brandon Phillips is 7-for-44 (.159).
ABOUT THE REDS (46-47): Rookie shortstop Zack Cozart has hit safely in his first five games in the majors. He is hitting .381 after going 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored Friday. Phillips might have stirred up more bad blood with the Cardinals Friday - he stopped to wave his arms in celebration before reaching first base following his game-winning homer. It was Phillips who called the Cardinals a bunch of whiners last season.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (49-44): Bullpen problems continue to plague the Cardinals. Fernando Salas' blown save Friday was his third in 19 chances this year. Previous closer Ryan Franklin blew four saves before being released. Albert Pujols, who had a disappointing first half with 18 homers and 50 RBIs, started the second half in fine fashion with a 414-foot homer and a 2-for-5 night.
FINAL PITCH: Cincinnati's Scott Rolen notched his 500th career double Friday, joining George Brett and Chipper Jones as the only third basemen with 2,000 hits, 500 doubles, 300 homers and 1,200 RBIs.