The St. Louis Cardinals (21-27, 22-26 RL, 25-22-1 O/U) meet with the Cincinnati Reds (19-27, 25–21 RL, 24-22 O/U) in the second of a four-game divisional series on Tuesday night. The Cardinals will have Adam Wainwright on the mound. The Reds will reply with Graham Ashcraft. The Cardinals won 12 of 19 against the Reds last season.
The Cardinals will have Adam Wainwright on the hill in this bout. Wainwright allowed five runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings against the Dodgers last time out, resulting in his first win of the season. The veteran has yet to find a groove in his three starts this season, conceding 13 runs (10 earned), resulting in a 5.74 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP, and a 1-0 record in 15.2 innings pitched. He posted a 7.23 ERA in three meetings against the Reds last season and has a 5.46 ERA in 201 career innings against the rivals.
The Cardinals are playing better recently after a rough string of games but have a lot of work to do considering they are six games below the .500 mark. They have won two of their last three series including a sweep of the Red Sox and a series win against the rival Brewers. Next, they registered three victories in four meetings against the Dodgers on the weekend, scoring 32 runs.
FIVE RBI for Oscar Mercado matches his single game career best! #STLCards pic.twitter.com/Kuol5xIzdw
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 21, 2023
Willson Contreras is one of many hot hitters in the Cardinals lineup. The former Cub has two homers and seven RBIs in his last four games and 25 RBIs accompanied by a .727 OPS on the season. Contreras was dominant as a member of the Cubs against the Reds last year, collecting six RBIs and a 1.3 OPS.
The Cardinals are scoring an average of 5.10 runs per game, ranking them eighth. The pitching staff has yielded a 4.30 team ERA, placing them 17th.