First pitch is 1:15 PM CT and the Reds (31-31) draw Matthew Liberatore after Lars Nootbaar walked back from the IL and immediately gut-punched them with an RBI double that kicked off a 6-run sixth. Lodolo (2-1, 5.20) vs Liberatore (3-3, 4.35) — two lefties, two guys whose last starts looked nothing like their season ERAs.
Lodolo's line from his last outing against Atlanta is the classic Lodolo special: 6.2 innings, only 3 earned, but 4 walks crammed into 100 pitches. He keeps grinding through traffic and surviving. Liberatore meanwhile just spun 5.1 shutout against the Cubs on 85 pitches, 1 walk, looking exactly like the guy the Cardinals keep insisting he can become.
Cincinnati's a flat .500 team that just got smoked, and the splits on this roster right now are ugly when you stack them up. The Cardinals are 33-28 and have won 3 of their last 5, but the only loss in there that mattered was Texas on Tuesday. Pinnacle has St. Louis at -123 with a total of 9.5 — a tighter market than Friday's scoreboard would suggest, which tells you the sharps think Lodolo bounces back.
- 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-ILJose Trevino C — Trevino (hamstring) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- 10-Day-ILElly De La Cruz SS — Reds manager Terry Francona said Monday that an MRI on De La Cruz's right hamstring showed between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
- 15-Day-ILRhett Lowder SP — Reds manager Terry Francona confirmed Wednesday that Lowder (shoulder) will be reinstated from the injured list to start Sunday's game in St. Louis, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati reports.
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan RP — Pagan (hamstring) underwent an MRI exam Friday that showed positive results, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILPierce Johnson RP — Johnson threw a scoreless seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Phillies to pick up his fourth hold of the season. He struck out two while allowing a walk.
- Day-To-DayJJ Wetherholt 2B — Wetherholt (lower body) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.
- 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-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis as soon as this weekend, Derrick Goold and Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.
- 10-Day-ILNathan Church LF — Church (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Derrick Goold and Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.
The injury board is where this game actually gets decided. Elly De La Cruz on the IL with a Grade 1-2 hamstring strain is a roster-altering loss — there is no replacing that bat or that range at short. Ke'Bryan Hayes is out at third, Trevino is rehabbing, the bullpen is missing Pagan and Pierce Johnson. The lone bright spot: Terry Francona confirmed Rhett Lowder gets reinstated to start Sunday's series finale, so the rotation gets a body back tomorrow.
The Cardinals counter with their own dings — JJ Wetherholt was out of Friday's lineup with a lower-body issue and Ramon Urias is still rehabbing — but getting Nootbaar back is the kind of swing that flips a lineup overnight. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his season debut and was clearly the engine on Friday.
Reds need a starter to set the tone here or this series turns into a sweep watch real fast. Lodolo on short walks and Liberatore continuing his quietly solid run is the over-under of the day. Take the under at -106 if you trust both lefties to do what they did last time out; lean Cards if you watched Friday night.