Jason Marquis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Cincinnati Reds (3-0) meet Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.20 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1-1) in the first of a three-game division series at the Great American Ball Park. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 10 and will air on FSN-MW and FSN-OH.
Marquis is 6-3 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.44 WHIP against the Cardinals in his career. Todd Frazier (.308 ) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. In his pitching opportunities against the Reds, Wacha is 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA, 24 strikeouts and eight walks. Matt Holliday (.375 ) went 1 for 4 Wednesday.
Cincinnati, a +106 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against St. Louis. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at eight runs. The Reds rank fourth in the majors in home runs with four. The Reds are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with an MLB-high seven steals. Transitioning to the Cincinnati defense and pitching staff, teams routinely struggle to score runs against the Reds, who allow only 3.0 runs per game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the NL with 13.0 strikeouts per game.
St. Louis is a terror on the base paths, ranking second in the MLB with four stolen bases. Switching gears to St. Louis’s pitching staff, they have a WHIP of 0.59, second best in the MLB.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Over
Notes
When St. Louis is in the lead after the 7th inning, the team has a 0-1 record.
After a weak showing last week where they got in six hits, the Reds need to step it up. The Cardinals have a record of 1-1 when opponents get six hits or fewer.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 24th when it comes to home runs, hitting zero this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top five at fourth with four.
Ranking 12th, Cincinnati is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 5.00 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 6.50.
Ranking 22nd, St. Louis is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.524). Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 15th with an OPS of .632.
