The Cincinnati Reds (56-86, 66-75 RL 68-68-5 O/U) battle the St. Louis Cardinals (84-59 RL, 80-63 RL, 69-69-5 O/U) in the second of a long five-game series on Friday night. The Reds will give the nod to Justin Dunn. The Cardinals reply with Jack Flaherty seeking his first win of the season. The Cardinals lead the season series 9-5.
Justin Dunn will make his eighth start of the season in this game. Dunn had trouble last time out, conceding six runs including two home runs in three innings against the Brewers, and was charged with the loss to dip to 1-3. The young right-hander has now allowed four homers in his last two outings and his ERA has plummeted to 6.10 along with a 1.58 WHIP in 31 innings pitched. Dunn was effective in his meeting against the Cardinals last month, allowing one run in four innings.
Cincinnati had a rough series against the Pirates this week, losing all four games at home. They were not able to solve the Pirates' pitching, scoring only eight runs. The Reds have won two out of their last four series and are 3-7 in their last ten games.
Kyle Farmer has not been ab le to solve the Cards' pitching, amassing a poor .518 OPS against the division foes. The 32-year-old shortstop is having a breaking season, leading the team with 66 RBIs and a .723 OPS. Farmer has recorded a strong .918 OPS this month.
The Reds are scoring an average of 4.24 runs per game, ranking them 24th overall. The pitching staff has posted a 4.92 team ERA, pegging them 29th in the big leagues.