St. Louis tries to contain Cincy’s base burglar
Alex Reyes’ MLB debut didn’t come in a St. Louis win. The electrifying 21-year-old’s arrival on Tuesday, though, was the chief talking point after the Cards’ 7-4 loss to the Reds.
Unleashing a torrent of 100 mph fastballs and several knee-buckling curves, Reyes threw a perfect ninth inning. He could be summoned from the bullpen tonight, too, as the host team wraps up its set vs. Cincinnati. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv like Mike Matheny’s group to bounce back, while Bryan Price’s bunch is a +148 underdog. The over/under run total sits at eight.
Failing to land the knockout blow on Brandon Finnegan in the middle match of the series, the Cardinals fell to a game behind Miami for the National League’s second wild-card spot. Yet they’re decidedly optimistic about the southpaw striding to the mound this evening. Jaime Garcia tossed an eight-hit shutout over eight frames his last time out, fanning 11 Braves in the process. He also boasts a 10-4 record with a 3.75 ERA in 20 career meetings with Cincy.
The Reds respond by deploying a righty who absolutely stymied the Redbirds in 2015. Anthony DeSclafani went 3-0 against them, striking out 22 in 19 innings. Most recently, he held the Pirates to a mere two runs on three base knocks.
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Frankly, the finale shapes up as another terrific showcase for Billy Hamilton. Cincinnati’s center fielder can’t be tamed at the moment, as evidenced by those 13 steals since Aug. 2. Unless Garcia manages to keep him off base, St. Louis will probably experience further frustration at home.
WEDNESDAY MLB FREE PICK: REDS/CARDINALS UNDER 8 RUNS