Cincinnati Reds to face St. Louis Cardinals – MLB Preview
The Cincinnati Reds are bidding to prove their mettle as a strong contender against the rival teams. The fresh attempt that the team will undertake is against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, May 13 at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati. Owing to the
quality consistency the Reds have shown, the eager fans attach enormous hopes to their team. St. Louis Cardinals are not going to be an easy target to prey upon.
The Cardinals’ advantage is their starting pitchers exceptional resilience. Jaime Garcia has lately had a tremendous record. In the last game that Cardinals played against Washington Cubs, Garcia pitched seven strong innings to contain the Cubs’ offence
to merely one run, winning the game by 9-1. The resilience that the starting pitcher showed in the last game will naturally develop pressure on the Reds.
All the same and very importantly is the Cardinals’ batting line-up that is a matter of serious concern for the Reds. The Cardinals’ offence has remained good throughout this season, giving their opponents a tough time.
Bronson Arroyo is one of the candid rivals who acknowledge it without any hesitation. "It's definitely a lineup I don't look forward to pitching to," Arroyo said. "It's tougher to nail that team down and get deep in the ballgame without a big situation coming
up. It's hard to tame that lineup."
Lance Berkman is one of the hitters whom Baker, the Reds’ team manager, commented on. "You don't have to remind me," Baker said. "He's hitting everybody right now. I knew he'd come back strong." Important to mention here is that Berkman is a .339 hitter
at the Great American Ballpark. He has some very impressive stats and will make a difference in the game.
To strengthen the offence, the Cardinals will look towards their strong defence as well. When it comes to defence, Kyle Lohse cannot be forgotten.
Lohse is in good form and is ready to make things difficult for the Reds. He has a fairly enviable record of winning against Houston Astros by 6-5, against San Francisco Giants 6-1, against Washington Nationals by 5-0 and 11-2 against Los Angeles Dodgers.
That makes him someone challenging for the Reds.
But in reality, there is more to it. St. Louis has had a huge psychological advantage over the Reds largely because out of 10 games that the Reds have played against the Cardinals, it is St. Louis which has maintained their ascendancy with a total of eight
wins. The disconcertingly unsatisfactory performance of the Reds against their rivals worries their manager as well. "The last couple of years, we didn't match up good against them," manager Dusty Baker told the Reds' official website.
There are projections as well that clearly favour St. Louis with a 51 percent chance to win compared to 49 percent that goes to the Reds.
Although challenges abound, Cincinnati will try to be a cut above the Cardinals this time. An edge over the Cardinals is what the Reds need to compensate the record that does not hold anything impressive. For it to transpire, the Reds have to put in an extra
special effort.
It will be an exciting match as the Cardinals fight it out with the Reds, as each team has something to prove and a comprehensive win will boost their momentum tremendously.
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