Cincinnati's a flat .500 team that just got smoked, and the splits on this roster right now are ugly when you stack them up. The Cardinals are 33-28 and have won 3 of their last 5, but the only loss in there that mattered was Texas on Tuesday. Pinnacle has St. Louis at -123 with a total of 9.5 — a tighter market than Friday's scoreboard would suggest, which tells you the sharps think Lodolo bounces back.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns (C) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayJosh Staumont (RP) — The Twins reinstated Staumont (calf) from the 15-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJose Trevino (C) — Trevino (hamstring) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.06/05
- 10-Day-ILElly De La Cruz (SS) — Reds manager Terry Francona said Monday that an MRI on De La Cruz's right hamstring showed between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.06/01
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes (3B) — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.05/22
- 15-Day-ILRhett Lowder (SP) — Reds manager Terry Francona confirmed Wednesday that Lowder (shoulder) will be reinstated from the injured list to start Sunday's game in St. Louis, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati reports.06/03
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan (RP) — Pagan (hamstring) underwent an MRI exam Friday that showed positive results, MLB.com reports.05/31
- 15-Day-ILPierce Johnson (RP) — Johnson threw a scoreless seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Phillies to pick up his fourth hold of the season. He struck out two while allowing a walk.05/30
- OutCarson Spiers (SP) — The Reds re-signed Spiers (elbow) to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Monday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft (RP) — Ashcraft (elbow) received a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, MLB.com reports.06/03
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene (SP) — Greene (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.05/26
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson (SP) — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08
- Day-To-DayJJ Wetherholt (2B) — Wetherholt (lower body) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.06/05
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton (RP) — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/14
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse (SP) — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos (RP) — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson (SP) — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.05/08
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson (RP) — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias (3B) — Urias (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis as soon as this weekend, Derrick Goold and Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.06/03
- 10-Day-ILNathan Church (LF) — Church (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Derrick Goold and Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.06/03
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez (RP) — The Cardinals recalled Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.06/05
The injury board is where this game actually gets decided. Elly De La Cruz on the IL with a Grade 1-2 hamstring strain is a roster-altering loss — there is no replacing that bat or that range at short. Ke'Bryan Hayes is out at third, Trevino is rehabbing, the bullpen is missing Pagan and Pierce Johnson. The lone bright spot: Terry Francona confirmed Rhett Lowder gets reinstated to start Sunday's series finale, so the rotation gets a body back tomorrow.
The Cardinals counter with their own dings — JJ Wetherholt was out of Friday's lineup with a lower-body issue and Ramon Urias is still rehabbing — but getting Nootbaar back is the kind of swing that flips a lineup overnight. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his season debut and was clearly the engine on Friday.
Reds need a starter to set the tone here or this series turns into a sweep watch real fast. Lodolo on short walks and Liberatore continuing his quietly solid run is the over-under of the day. Take the under at -106 if you trust both lefties to do what they did last time out; lean Cards if you watched Friday night.