St. Louis will play the second game of its three-game series in Cincinnati on Saturday night. The Cardinals won a pair of games against Cincinnati last weekend prior to the All-Star break. This story was published prior to Friday night’s series opener.
St. Louis will be looking for consistency during the second half of the season following a strong start to the year. The Cardinals were never able to really make an impact in the National League Central due to their inconsistent play, though. They went through a stretch of losing six out of seven games earlier this month before responding with five wins in their final seven games prior to the break. St. Louis won two consecutive games against Cincinnati before last Sunday’s series finale was postponed. The Cardinals are a half-game back of Milwaukee in the NL East standings, but they are tied with Philadelphia for the final NL Wild Card spot.
Happy 73rd Birthday to former #STLCards pitcher and TV analyst, @Mad_Hungarian39! ?? pic.twitter.com/e1zhPirULG
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 21, 2022
Their offense has been their strength this season, as they rank eighth in the MLB in batting average (.251). First baseman Paul Goldschmidt was outstanding in the first half, racking up 112 hits, 20 home runs and 70 RBIs to go along with his .330 average. Third baseman Nolan Arenado added 97 hits, including 18 home runs. Veteran catcher Yadier Molina and center fielder Harrison Bader are both sidelined with injuries. St. Louis is facing a Cincinnati pitching staff that is dead last in the majors with an ERA of 5.30. Left-handed pitcher Steven Matz is set to start for St. Louis on Saturday. He was reinstated from the 15-day injured list (shoulder) last weekend. Matz is making his first start since May 22, with his most recent rehab appearance being 4.1 innings last Tuesday. He is 3-3 with a 6.03 ERA at the big-league level this year.