Preview: Cardinals at Reds
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[August 04, 2015]
Brandon Moss wasn’t able to make
much of an impact in his first three games with his new team, but the
St. Louis Cardinals were more than happy to see him deliver when he did.
After delivering a pinch-hit, walk-off single in a series-clinching win
over the weekend, Moss looks to build upon his first clutch hit with his
new team on Tuesday when the Cardinals visit the Cincinnati Reds in the
opener of a three-game set.
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Acquired from Cleveland at the non-waiver trade deadline on Friday
to share time at first base with Mark Reynolds, Moss managed only
one single in his first 10 at-bats for St. Louis prior to stepping
up in Sunday’s 3-2 victory versus Colorado. “We put him in a big
spot. He’s the kind of player we think is going to come up big for
us. He’s had some real nice at-bats and we have a lot of faith he’s
going to drive the ball deep, but we’ll take a base hit,” manager
Mike Matheny told reporters. Moss will likely get a start on Tuesday
against Cincinnati, which blanked the Cardinals twice last week
while taking two of three in St. Louis. The Reds were on the wrong
end of a shutout on Sunday, however, as Pittsburgh handed Cincinnati
a 3-0 setback in a game in which the benches cleared after stars
Andrew McCutchen and Brandon Phillips were hit by pitches late.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
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PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH John Lackey (9-6, 2.78 ERA) vs. Reds
RH Anthony DeSclafani (6-7, 3.75)
Lackey came out on the short end of a pitchers’ duel in a 1-0 loss
to Cincinnati on Wednesday, watching his three-game winning streak
come to an end after surrendering a solo shot to Jay Bruce among the
two hits he allowed in eight frames. The one-time All-Star has
recorded nine consecutive quality starts, going 5-2 over that
stretch while logging at least seven innings in eight of those
outings. Lackey, who has struggled against Marlon Byrd in his career
(10-for-32, two homers and RBIs), is 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA in six
starts versus the Reds.
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DeSclafani outdueled Lackey on Wednesday, turning in one of the
finest performances of his two-year big-league career by holding the
Cardinals to three singles and three walks across seven scoreless
innings. The 25-year-old Florida product, who has surrendered six
runs in each of his last two turns in Cincinnati, has struggled much
more at home (2-5, 5.69 ERA) than he has on the road (4-2, 2.41).
DeSclafani’s only other appearance against St. Louis came last
August, when he tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati 1B Joey Votto leads the majors in batting average
(.491), walks (20) and on-base percentage (.635) since the All-Star
break.
2. After hitting seven homers in 191 at-bats before the break, St.
Louis LF Randal Grichuk has clubbed five in 52 at-bats in the second
half.
3. Bruce’s next home run will give him 200 for his career, allowing
him to become the ninth player in team history to reach that
milestone and leaving him three shy of eighth-place Eric Davis.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 4, Reds 1
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