The Cardinals were able to snap a four-game skid on Sunday with a complete game from Adam Wainwright, on his 39th birthday, and with Yadier Molina behind the plate for his 2,000th game. So, as we enter the final month of this 2020 season, St. Louis sits at 12-13 with 33 games to go. First up in what will be a wild September: three games with the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
In his career at GABP, Molina has a .313/.352/.492 slash with 26 doubles and 15 home runs in 108 games.
The Reds split their four-game series with the Cubs over the weekend, one that ended on a sour note for Cincy with Chicago’s homer-heavy rout on Sunday. The Cardinals were quiet on this trade deadline day, and the Reds were, too — up until around the 3:00 PM CT mark. Cincinnati acquired outfielder Brian Goodwin from the Angels and relief pitcher Archie Bradley from the Diamondbacks.
In Monday’s series opener, Anthony DeSclafani and Dakota Hudson will be the starting pitchers. We saw this same matchup 10 days ago in St. Louis. DeSclafani’s last outing came against the Cardinals, and he started the only game of that series at Busch Stadium that ended in a Reds win. Back on 8/21, DeSclafani logged 4 1⁄3 innings and surrendered two runs on three base hits and four walks. DeSclafani has been on paternity leave.
Hudson turned in six innings of two-run ball against the Royals his last time out, marking his first quality start of the year. Hudson fanned six and allowed just one base hit in 4 2⁄3 innings against the Reds back on 8/21.
Dakota Hudson May Be Improving
Sonny Gray and Kwang Hyun Kim will take the mound on Tuesday. Gray is 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 55 strikeouts through seven starts this season. Gray worked in St. Louis on 8/20 and held the Cardinals to two runs over six frames. In his most recent start, on 8/27, Gray blanked the Brewers for five innings in the first game of a doubleheader.
Kim has done a fine job of the helping the Cardinals fill up innings lost when Miles Mikolas and Carlos Martinez hit the shelf. Kim’s last two outings. Kim has combined for 12 scoreless innings over across his last two starts, including six against the Reds on 8/22 and six more against the Pirates on 8/27. (Kim did allow a run to the Pirates in the fourth inning of that game, but it was unearned.)
The series will wrap up on Wednesday with Tyler Mahle and Johan Oviedo. Mahle was sharp in his last start, pitching into the seventh inning and racking up 11 strikeouts against the Cubs. Mahle lasted three innings against the Cardinals on 8/23 and allowed three runs — two on a home run by Harrison Bader.
Oviedo will make the third start of his career on Wednesday. The 22-year-old worked five innings against the Cubs on 8/19 and five more against the Pirates on 8/27. Oveido allowed two runs in each of the starts, and batters have hit .171 off him in 10 innings.
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Monday, 8/31, 5:40 | DeSclafani vs. Hudson | ESPN, FSMW, KMOX
Tuesday, 9/1, 5:40 | Gray vs. Kim | FSMW, KMOX
Wednesday, 9/2, 5:40 | Mahle vs. Oviedo | MLB Network, FSMW, KMOX