The St. Louis Cardinals might be leading the National League Central, but they are at risk of losing their four-game series by the Cincinnati Reds and facing Johnny Cueto will not help the effort in trying to get a win. The Cardinals got the first-game win in a 5-0 shutout, but fell over the next two games while slightly losing their cool as John Lackey was ejected. Now they are trying to salvage a win against one of the league's best arms.
The Reds hit a rough patch in their season and are now trying to win three straight games for the first time since early August. They have been benefiting from solid play at the plate. Ryan Ludwick snapped a 13-game home run drought against the Cardinals. Brandon Phillips has also gotten the bats swinging. He got two hits and an RBI on Wednesday while being 14 for his last 40 with three doubles against the Cardinals.
Cincinnati will put Cueto on the mound who is just one win behind Clayton Kershaw for the best record in baseball. He is coming off back-to-back wins. In his last start he only surrendered one run against the New York Mets while being 17-8 with a 2.23 ERA on the year. He has not gotten a win against the Cardinals since 2011 while being 0-3 with a 3.48 ERA over his last seven starts in the series. The losses are not all on Cueto. The pitcher has barely received any run support in the series.
The Cardinals are looking good themselves as they sit well ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the division. Lance Lynn gets the start as he has a 4.00 ERA against the Reds this season. He has won his last three starts against Cincinnati thanks to receiving 7.5 runs of support, something Cueto has not gotten. Jon Jay is helping that effort. He is 12 for 23 with three home runs against Cueto
However, Jay Bruce is happy to see Lynn on the mound. He has the most hits against the pitcher than any other player in the league, going 11 for 22 with five extra-base hits against the pitcher. The last time Lynn took the mound against the Reds, he pitch seven scoreless innings opposite Cueto.
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