They needed extra innings on Monday night, but the Cincinnati Reds took the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on a Nick Senzel walk-off sacrifice fly. The two teams get back at it tonight in game two of their 4-game series at Great American Ball Park, with the winner of the game avoiding last place in the National League Central. First pitch this evening is set for 6:40pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Starting Pitchers
Graham Ashcraft
The last two weeks have been tough for Graham Ashcraft as he’s watched his ERA jump from 2.00 on the season to 4.84 on the season in a span of just three starts. Last time out he allowed 10 hits and seven runs in 5.0 innings in Colorado.
Much like 2022, Graham Ashcraft has had reverse splits. Right-handed hitters are making tons of contact, walking at a solid clip, and hitting .309 against him. They aren’t hitting for a lot of power, but they’re finding success everywhere else. Lefties are not doing much hitting, posting a .198 average against him so far this season while walking a little less often than righties and striking out significantly more often. They are hitting for slightly more power.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 112 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 15 | .309 | .387 | .454 |
| LHH | 100 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 21 | .198 | .270 | .352 |
Pitch Usage
| 2-seam | Cutter | Slider | |
| Velo | 97.0 | 96.6 | 88.6 |
| Usage | 6% | 58% | 36% |
Adam Wainwright
After missing the first five weeks of the season, Adam Wainwright has returned to the rotation for the Cardinals and has had some struggles thus far. In the first two outings he allowed four runs in five innings. In his most recent start he allowed five, though only two were earned. He’s struggled to miss bats this season, picking up just eight strikeouts in 15.2 innings so far.
It’s still real early in the season for Wainwright, so his splits aren’t all the reliable from 2023. With that said, left-handed hitters have found a little more success – hitting for a higher average and more power – than righties have. In 2021 and 2022 there wasn’t much of a difference in the splits for Wainwright from a lefty/righty situation. Where there has been, though, is his home and road splits. Over the previous two seasons his ERA at home is 2.85, but on the road it’s 4.16.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 34 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .281 | .324 | .469 |
| LHH | 38 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .324 | .368 | .588 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 86.2 | 87.5 | 83.2 | 72.0 | 80.1 |
| Usage | 6% | 38% | 22% | 31% | 3% |
When and Where
- Game time: 6:40pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 79°, partly cloudy, 0% chance of rain
News and Notes
TJ Friedl is back, Will Benson is out
The Reds activated TJ Friedl from the injured list this afternoon and as you’ve probably seen above – he’s in the lineup and hitting leadoff. Cincinnati optioned Will Benson back to Triple-A today to make the roster move to open up the spot needed on the 26-man roster.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 25 | 22 | 0.0 | 58.8% |
| Pirates | 25 | 22 | 0.0 | 14.7% |
| Cubs | 20 | 26 | 4.5 | 13.8% |
| Cardinals | 21 | 28 | 5.0 | 41.9% |
| Reds | 20 | 27 | 5.0 | 1.0% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
