Photo: Redleg Nation Staff
The Cincinnati Reds will look to get back in the win column this evening as they face the St. Louis Cardinals for game three of their 4-game set at Great American Ball Park. Each team has picked up a win so far, with the Reds getting the victory on Monday and the Cardinals grabbing a win last night. First pitch tonight is set for 6:40pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Starting Pitchers
Ben Lively
Since being called up earlier this month, Ben Lively’s gotten the job done and then some. His first two outings came out of the Reds bullpen, but he made a start his last time out and struck out eight batters and gave up just two runs in 5.2 innings against the Yankees.
This season between the big leagues and Triple-A, Ben Lively has been really good against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .154 average and a .250 slugging percentage. Right-handed hitters have had more success, but not a lot of it. They are hitting .226 against him with a .357 slugging percentage. They are walking at a solid rate and making contact often, but to this point they haven’t done a lot with that contact.
Splits (AAA & MLB)
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 95 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 17 | .226 | .305 | .357 |
| LHH | 55 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | .154 | .185 | .250 |
Pitch Usage (AAA & MLB)
| 4-seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 91.3 | 91.3 | 88.8 | 75.8 | 80.6 | 84.6 |
| Usage | 33% | 18% | 11% | 11% | 20% | 7% |
Steven Matz
It’s been a tough stretch for Steven Matz since joining the Cardinals in 2022. He has posted a 5.15 ERA in 19 starts and five relief appearances after having a breakout season in 2021 with the Blue Jays.
This year he’s been very good against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .189 average and a sub .300 slugging percentage. Right-handed hitters have had plenty of good at-bats against him this year. They are hitting .331 with a .530 slugging percentage against him.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 167 | 50 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 32 | .331 | .389 | .530 |
| LHH | 41 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | .189 | .268 | .297 |
Pitch Usage
| 2-Seam | Slider | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 93.9 | 88.8 | 78.8 | 83.9 |
| Usage | 57% | 2% | 17% | 24% |
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: 81°, partly cloudy, 2% chance of rain
News and Notes
Eduardo Salazar is called up
Cincinnati’s got a new reliever in the bullpen, calling up right-hander Eduardo Salazar. The first year reliever has been dominant this season between Double-A and Triple-A with a 0.51 ERA. He’s also been a big time groundball machine so far this season. You can read more about him here if you’d like. Silvino Bracho was designated for assignment to make room for Salazar on the roster (both the 26-man and the 40-man).
Elly De La Cruz named the top prospect in baseball
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniels updated his Top 50 prospects in baseball today and put Elly De La Cruz at #1 on the list. Not surprising to many, but it’s still nice to see. De La Cruz was just one of three Reds prospects inside the Top 50. You can see who else made the list here.
Standings
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Brewers | 26 | 22 | 0.0 | 58.9% |
| Pirates | 25 | 23 | 1.0 | 12.6% |
| Cubs | 21 | 26 | 4.5 | 16.0% |
| Cardinals | 22 | 28 | 5.0 | 43.8% |
| Reds | 20 | 28 | 6.0 | 0.9% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
