After a thrilling series against the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in which the Cincinnati Reds (29-34) won a series against a team that was tied for first place in their division at the beginning of the week, they now go on the road for a t10-game trip.
The Reds will start with a weekend series in St. Louis against the division rival Cardinals (26-37), who are currently in last place, eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, and three games behind the Reds. First pitch from Busch Stadium is at 8:15 EDT.
Lineups
Starting Pitchers
Ben Lively
Ben Lively started out his season on a high note, but ran into a bit of trouble in his last start. While he went seven innings against the Brewers on Sunday, he also allowed five runs on six hits, including two home runs, while walking three batters in a 5-1 loss.
At first glance, Lively has appeared to pitch better against left-handed hitters, but he has given up more home runs to lefty hitters and has also struck out more right-handed batters in less at-bats. He has also done a good job of limiting walks this season, but that is slightly skewed. He allowed no walks in his first two appearances of the season, but only pitched 2-3 innings. As he has gone deeper into games, he’s been walking more batters, culminating with three in seven innings against Milwaukee. His walk rate isn’t terrible, but he’s also doesn’t have the track record that would give you a lot of confidence he can pitch out of situations he gets himself into with untimely walks.
If you’re looking for a Cardinals player that has hit Lively well in the past, look no further than Paul Goldschmidt. He’s hitting .455 with a home run off Lively in 11 at-bats.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 50 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8% | 28% | .217 | .280 | .348 |
| LHH | 67 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6% | 22% | .191 | .239 | .365 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 91.1 | 92.0 | 89.2 | 76.3 | 80.4 | 84.9 |
| Usage | 32.5% | 17.2% | 6.8% | 8.8% | 24.1% | 10.6% |
Jordan Montgomery
Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is not having the best of seasons, though his high ERA has partly been driven by a few really bad starts. He allowed seven runs in 4.0 innings to the Diamondbacks in an April start, and six runs in 5.0 innings to the Cubs in May. However, in his last two starts, Montgomery has a 2.53 ERA in 10.2 innings, striking out eight and only allowing one home run. He’s allowed eight home runs on the year.
One thing Montgomery has been doing well throughout the entire season has been not walking hitters. His BB% is 6.2% overall, and when you look at his splits, it’s been all to right-handed hitters. He has not yet walked a lefty hitter this season.
Spencer Steer and Stuart Fairchild, both in the lineup tonight, each have hit a home run off Montgomery.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 244 | 60 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 7% | 21% | .270 | .329 | .482 |
| LHH | 45 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 18% | .311 | .311 | .333 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-Seam | 2-Seam | Cutter | Curve | Change | |
| Velo | 93.7 | 93.5 | 89.0 | 80.8 | 84.1 |
| Usage | 12.5% | 41.9% | 1.0% | 21.9% | 22.6% |
Details:
- Time: 8:15 EDT
- Place: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
- Weather: 80°, mostly sunny, 0 percent chance of rain
- TV: Bally Sports Ohio
- Radio: 700 WLW
News and Notes
Roster Moves
The Reds made lots of roster moves this afternoon, and it started with the announcement that Wil Myers was sent to Triple-A on a rehab assignment. The Reds also sent down one reliever and called up another reliever after a taxing bullpen day yesterday.
One day after Graham Ashcraft got hit in the leg by a line drive, he goes on the IL with a left calf contusion and called up Ricky Karcher to replace him. How will this affect the Reds rotation going forward and how was Karcher doing in Louisville before he received his first MLB call-up? Redleg Nation has you covered.
Learn all about the 17-year-old international signee by the Reds who’s dominating the Dominican Summer League and the dynamic duo of catchers at Triple-A Louisville right now.
Stat of the Day
Alexis Díaz since April 10:
? 21.1 IP
? 0.42 ERA
? 40 K
? .100 OPP AVG
? 1.22 FIP pic.twitter.com/ylIdN9DUce— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 9, 2023
