The Reds head into a three-game set with the Cardinals carrying a chance to make up ground in the NL Central, and the timing matters. Cincinnati is 47-54 and trails St. Louis by 4.5 games, with the series also marking the ninth straight road game for the Reds once it wraps up.
St. Louis comes in after a three-game trip to Anaheim, where the Cardinals dropped the first two before salvaging the finale against the Angels.
Game 1 sets up as a matchup of starters trying to steady themselves. The Reds are expected to send Rhett Lowder to the mound, and he enters with a 3-7 record, a 5.75 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. His last outing was rough: 2.1 innings, 11 hits allowed and eight earned runs.
The Cardinals are slated to counter with Dustin May, who is 5-7 with a 4.78 ERA. May last pitched six days ago against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he worked five innings and gave up eight hits and five earned runs.
Hunter Greene is projected to start game two for Cincinnati. Greene is 2-1 with a 6.06 ERA, though he has found some rhythm in July by winning each of his last two starts. In his most recent outing against the Rockies, he threw six innings and allowed four hits and three earned runs.
Andre Pallante is expected to go for St. Louis in the second game.
Pallante has had a tough season overall at 0-7 with a 4.02 ERA, and his last two starts have been shaky, with nine earned runs allowed across 10.1 innings. His last strong outing came July 3 against the Cubs, when he threw 5 2/3 shutout innings and gave up five hits.
The finale should bring another tight pitching matchup, with Andrew Abbott lined up for Cincinnati. Abbott has put together an up-and-down season, posting a 5-6 record and a 3.89 ERA.
Kyle Leahy is projected to start the last game for the Cardinals. He comes in at 7-4 with a 3.59 ERA and 79 strikeouts, and his most recent start against the Angels was a strong one: six innings, one earned run, three hits.
The series begins tonight, with first pitch set for 5:15 P.M.
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