St. Louis Cardinals second-year pitcher Shelby Miller is looking to follow up on an exciting rookie year. The pitcher capped off a solid first year in the majors with a trip to the World Series. Now, he takes the mound for his first start at home for the season as the Cardinals look to earn the home sweep against the Cincinnati Reds which would only extend their home dominance against the National League Central rivals.
Miller's rookie year was strong. He finished the season going 10-3 with a 1.61 ERA. He capped the year off with four straight wins at home and now he will aim to continue that streak to five at Busch Stadium. Miller's first game this season did not go as planned compared to his rookie year. He allowed five runs and six hits in just 5 1/3 innings as the Cardinals got the 12-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
St. Louis is playing well in this series against the Reds. The team has posted 12 runs off 22 hits in the last two wins. However, they have stranded 20 runners in the series even though they have managed to get the wins. Miller is 1-0 in three games against Cincinnati with a 3.24 ERA.
The Reds have been traditionally bad in St. Louis. The team has lost six straight series in that stadium. They allowed the team to come back with four runs in the bottom of the second innings as the pitching staff has struggled to start the year off.
Mike Leake gets the afternoon start. The pitcher is 0-2 with an 8.27 ERA in his last three starts against the Cardinals. In his first game against the Mets he allowed four runs off five hits in 6 2/3 innings as Cincinnati got the loss. The pitcher will need to improve if the Reds are going to avoid getting swept.