Welcome to the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Series Preview.
Starting Friday, September 8, and ending Sunday, September 10, the St. Louis Cardinals face the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series in Cincinnati.
This is the third matchup for these two teams this season. The Reds lead the series four games to three, outscoring the Cardinals 38 to 32. They will meet again in St. Louis from Friday, September 29, through Sunday, October 1.
Surprisingly, The Cardinals won their last series against the Atlanta Braves after solid performances from Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Paul Goldschmidt. Cincinnati is 73-69, five and a half games back from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Central, and tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins for the last N.L. Wild Card spot.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Series Preview
Probable Pitchers
Friday: Drew Rom (0-2, 7.24 ERA) vs. Andrew Abbott (8-4, 3.22 ERA) (5:40 PM CDT)
Rookie Drew Rom is coming off a start in which he struggled getting batters to swing. He hit the strike zone on 42.9% of his pitches, but batters only swung the bat 40.5% of the time. This was the lowest amount in his three MLB games. Rom recorded just one strikeout while walking three batters.
Rookie Andrew Abbott is making his second start against the Cardinals this season. The first time was on June 10, and Abbott earned the win after throwing 5.2 shutout innings and striking out four batters. The lefty’s top pitch is a four-seam fastball, which he throws at a 50.4% rate and has recorded a run value of eight.
Saturday: Zack Thompson (4-5, 3.91 ERA) vs. Carson Spiers (0-0, 6.75 ERA) (5:40 PM CDT)
Left-hander Zack Thompson is coming off his best start of the year. He struck out six batters across seven innings and allowed three earned runs. Thompson didn’t walk a single batter. The 25-year-old is a candidate for a rotation spot in 2024.
Carson Spiers made his MLB debut on September 3. He pitched four innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out seven batters. His fastball averaged 93.4 miles per hour in that outing.
Sunday: Miles Mikolas (7-10, 4.63 ERA) vs. Hunter Greene (3-6, 4.75 ERA) (12:35 PM CDT)
Miles Mikolas earned a quality start by allowing three earned runs in six and two-thirds innings. For the second straight game, Mikolas struck out just two batters. His last appearance with more than four strikeouts was August 8, when he struck out five.
Prized youngster Hunter Greene is being activated from the injured list. Greene missed just one start due to illness. The right-hander has a fastball that averages 98.5 miles per hour and throws it 55.2% of the time. Greene has also achieved a 40.1% whiff rate with a slider he deploys 39.1% of the time.
Top Performers to Watch
Jordan Walker
Walker makes the top performers for the second series in a row after going 4-for-13 with a home run, four runs, and two RBI versus the Atlanta Braves. His season-long slash line sits at .275/.340/.459 with a 119 wRC+.
Tommy Edman also returns as a top performer for his second straight nomination. He increased his hit streak to eight games and added another stolen base. Edman drove in four RBI as well.
Nolan Gorman
Gorman went 5-for-12 with three home runs and a double against the Braves. He scored seven runs and six RBI and even added a stolen base to increase his season total to seven.
Opposing Players to Watch
Noelvi Marte is the top prospect within the Reds’ organization and 23rd in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. Through 66 plate appearances, he is slashing .254/.333/.390 with one home run, five doubles, and five stolen bases. Don’t be shocked if he belts a home run this weekend.
TJ Friedl is one of the fastest players in the game, with a sprint speed of 28.2 miles per hour, which ranks in the 74th percentile. He uses his speed exceptionally well and can reach base often on bunt singles. Look for him to lay at least one down against the Cardinals.
Spencer Steer is one of the top rookies in the National League this season and leads the Reds with 20 home runs and 77 RBI. The utility man also has tacked on 12 stolen bases.
Other News and Notes
Maysn Winn belted his first career home run on Wednesday versus the Atlanta Braves. It’s been a slow start for Winn since being called up. He’s slashing .167/.180/.250 across 62 plate appearances.
Taylor Motter cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Memphis.
Projected St. Louis Cardinals Record This Series: 2-1
I predict the Cardinals to play the role of spoiler here in this series and do their part to keep the Reds out of a playoff spot.
Over the last 15 days, the Reds rank 21st in OPS and 19th in runs scored. The Cardinals rank 24th and 21st in these categories over the same period.
Over the last 15 days, the Reds allowed the sixth most earned runs and ranked 24th in WHIP. The Cardinals allowed the eight most runs and ranked 27th in WHIP over the same period.
Both teams have five wins and five losses in their last ten games.
Check out my work over at FantasySixPack.net.
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