The NL Central's middle class meets at Great American Ball Park for a 12:10 PM opener that nobody asked for. Friday's tilt got rained out, so the Cardinals (28-21) and Reds (26-24) double up on Saturday with St. Louis trying to keep a slim grip on the division's second tier.
Chris Paddack on the mound is the storyline you can't ignore. The Reds scooped him up after Miami designated him, and his line still reads 0-5 with a 7.07 ERA. His Cincinnati debut against Cleveland on May 18 actually went okay — 5 innings, 2 earned runs — but the bullpen blew it in a 7-4 loss. Terry Francona pulled him at 78 pitches, which tells you exactly how much rope this rotation is willing to give him before things get scary.
Andre Pallante is the steadier hand here. He's gone at least 5 innings in every start this year and just punched out 7 over 6.2 frames against Kansas City on May 17. A 4.04 ERA isn't sexy, but compared to what's coming the other way, it might as well be Cy Young material.
Pinnacle has the Cardinals as run-line favorites at -1, which is the market's way of saying it expects Paddack to leak. The moneyline is essentially a coin flip, though, because Great American Ball Park doesn't care who's pitching — it turns warning-track flies into souvenirs. Eugenio Suarez is also reportedly back in the Cincinnati lineup after an oblique stint, which gives the Reds at least one bat that scares somebody.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton RP — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse SP — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos RP — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 10-Day-ILNathan Church LF — Church (lower body) is expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) will begin taking dry swings this week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- 60-Day-ILLars Nootbaar LF — The Cardinals are eyeing June 1 as a target date for Nootbaar's (heels) activation from the 60-day injured list, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns C — no
- Day-To-DayJosh Staumont RP — The Twins reinstated Staumont (calf) from the 15-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
- 10-Day-ILJose Trevino C — Trevino is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILRhett Lowder SP — Lowder (shoulder) is expected to face hitters early next week, Charlie Goldsmith of of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) is throwing from his knees in order to keep throwing while not putting stress on his strained hamstring, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox19.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCaleb Ferguson RP — Ferguson (oblique) walked one over a scoreless inning for Triple-A Louisville on Friday.
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene SP — Greene (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session May 26, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Both injury lists are ugly. Cincinnati is without Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder, and Jose Trevino, and now Ke'Bryan Hayes is sitting too. St. Louis is missing Nootbaar, Urias, and Nathan Church. Whoever can patch together 9 innings of competent bullpen work probably wins this one — and given Cincinnati's pen torched Paddack's last start, the smart read is that Pallante has the easier path.
Game 2 follows at 7:15 PM. Get your nap in between.