Cardinals at Reds
The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds have flipped their respective scripts, as the former answered a five-game skid by winning five in a row while the latter has countered a sterling 10-4 stretch with four consecutive losses. The Cardinals aim to continue their ascent at the expense of their National League Central rival on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series in Cincinnati.
Matt Carpenter ignited a five-run seventh inning with an RBI single in St. Louis' 6-0 win over Kansas City on Wednesday and is 7-for-20 with three extra-base hits (triple, two homers) against Cincinnati this season. Paul DeJong, who has gone deep three times and driven in 10 RBIs in the season series versus the Reds, showed signs of breaking out of a 1-for-14 slump with a homer among his two hits on Wednesday. Rookie Aristides Aquino is on a roll that has no equal in the history of Major League Baseball, as the 25-year-old Dominican belted his ninth homer in 14 career games in Wednesday's 17-7 setback versus Washington. Aquino is a sterling 17-for-44 at the plate with 17 RBIs and 13 runs scored since being promoted from Triple-A Louisville in the wake of Cincinnati trading away fellow outfielder Yasiel Puig.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (6-5, 5.54 ERA) vs. Reds RH Sonny Gray (7-6, 3.10)
Wacha will make his first appearance for St. Louis since being gashed for six runs on seven hits -- including two homers -- in 3 2/3 innings of an 8-0 setback at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 5. The 28-year-old has received significantly better results when he visits Great American Ball Park, where he won his seventh straight decision on July 19 after tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings in a 12-11 victory. Eugenio Suarez (9-for-23, one homer) and Joey Votto (14-for-41, seven extra-base hits) have flustered Wacha in their respective careers.
Gray has turned in back-to-back scoreless outings and improved to 2-0 in his last four after scattering two hits over six innings of Saturday's 10-1 romp against the Chicago Cubs. The 29-year-old also pitched well in his lone career encounter versus St. Louis on April 28 but was saddled with the loss despite permitting two runs on three hits in five innings of a 5-2 setback. Paul Goldschmidt (0-for-6, four strikeouts) has struggled against Gray, but Dexter Fowler (4-for-8) has gotten his licks in.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cincinnati C Tucker Barnhart, who joined Aquino in launching a two-run homer on Wednesday, is just 2-for-18 versus St. Louis this season.
2. Goldschmidt has struck out 16 times in 38 at-bats versus the Reds this season.
3. Cincinnati SS Jose Iglesias has scored eight runs during his nine-game hitting streak.