Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CIN	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
STL	1	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	—	7	10	0

Hunter Greene takes the ball for Cincinnati looking to build on a run that's seen the Reds win 3 of their last 5, including a statement series in Seattle. Andre Pallante counters for St. Louis, trying to stop the bleeding after his club dropped 4 of its last 5 and got roughed up 6-10 at home in its last outing. First pitch is set for 6:15 PM CT on Saturday, July 25.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Reds(47-54)

WWLWL

0

+1.5-212-102o8.5+130

Cardinals(52-50)

LWLLL

7

-1.5+208-100u8.5-127

Best BetReds -113

Pregame

Cincinnati enters as the pick here off a stretch where they've won 3 of 5 and just closed out Seattle with a signature comeback. St. Louis, meanwhile, has lost 4 of its last 5 and is patching together a bullpen missing two key arms for the year. The Reds' underlying record doesn't scream contender, but the recent trajectory says they're the healthier, more confident team walking into this one.

St. Louis just called up catcher Jimmy Crooks to jolt an offense that's gone cold, and the early returns have been encouraging in the small sample. But a lineup shakeup doesn't fix a bullpen that just lost JoJo Romero for an extended stretch to appendicitis and Max Rajcic to Tommy John surgery. Pallante has quietly put together a strong season at 10-6 with a 4.02 ERA, though his last start against Arizona was more grind than gem — 5.1 innings, 3 earned runs, 88 pitches with nothing left in the tank.

Hunter Greene

(2-2)·6.83 ERA

Jul 19 @ Rockies

W

6.0IP

3ER

7K

0BB

94P

07/25 Lineup

Andre Pallante

(12-6)·3.63 ERA

Jul 19 @ Diamondbacks

ND

5.1IP

3ER

3K

2BB

88P

07/25 Lineup

Cincinnati's road trip through Colorado and Seattle wasn't pretty on paper — an 0-8 shutout loss mixed in there — but the Reds answered by taking the last two from the Mariners, capped by Sal Stewart's clutch homer that delivered the club's first-ever series win in Seattle. That kind of finish matters for a team still fighting to stay in the Wild Card picture despite a losing record.

Greene's ERA sitting at 6.06 is ugly on its face, but his last start against Colorado was actually his best of the stretch — 6 innings, 3 earned, 7 strikeouts and zero walks on 94 pitches. The bigger issue in Cincinnati is pitching depth: Nick Lodolo is still working back from a blister and Brandon Williamson remains on the 60-day IL, which means Greene has less margin for error at the top of a rotation that can't really absorb another injury.

Cincinnati Reds

(6)

• 10-Day-ILMatt McLain (2B) — McLain (calf) will begin a rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A Louisville, MLB.com reports.07/22
• 10-Day-ILBlake Dunn (CF) — Dunn (elbow) could soon begin a rehab assignment serving exclusively as a designated hitter while he continues to go through a throwing progression, MLB.com reports.07/21
• 15-Day-ILNick Lodolo (SP) — Lodolo (blister) will attempt to throw a bullpen Wednesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.07/21
• 15-Day-ILTony Santillan (RP) — Santillan (oblique) received a PRP injection July 9 and is undergoing further treatment, MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson (SP) — Williamson (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters Wednesday, MLB.com reports.07/21
• 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft (RP) — Ashcraft (elbow) is on a throwing program, which will have him throw from 105 feet beginning July 20 at the Reds' training facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.07/18

St. Louis Cardinals

(4)

• Day-To-DayPedro Pages (C) — Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol indicated Pages will see a downturn in playing time following the promotion of Jimmy Crooks, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.07/22
• 15-Day-ILJoJo Romero (RP) — The Cardinals do not expect Romero (appendicitis) to be ready for activation from the 15-day injured list when first eligible, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILRamon Urias (3B) — Urias (elbows) has been sent to Triple-A Memphis and will begin a rehab assignment Saturday, Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.07/23
• 60-Day-ILMax Rajcic (RP) — Rajcic revealed on his Instagram account Thursday that he recently underwent a right elbow UCL reconstruction.07/23

St. Louis has its own attrition to manage. Ramon Urias is finally starting a rehab assignment after his elbow issue, and Pedro Pages is about to see his playing time squeezed now that Crooks is up. None of that screams disaster, but combined with a bullpen that just lost two relievers for the year, it's a roster patched together at exactly the wrong time to be facing a Reds team that's playing with some momentum.

Cincinnati Reds

(47-54)

Jul 22W@ Mariners5-3

Jul 22W@ Mariners4-2

Jul 21L@ Mariners0-8

Jul 19W@ Rockies9-6

Jul 18L@ Rockies3-10

St. Louis Cardinals

(52-50)

Jul 23Lvs Diamondbacks6-10

Jul 22W@ Angels1-0

Jul 22L@ Angels1-5

Jul 21L@ Angels2-3

Jul 19L@ Diamondbacks7-8

This series opener sets the tone for the weekend. Cincinnati wants to prove its Seattle finish was real progress and not a blip; St. Louis wants to show its home crowd that last week's collapse was the aberration, not the new normal. Whoever wins the pitching duel between Greene and Pallante probably wins the day — and right now, the Reds look like the team playing with more urgency.