National League Preview from The Sports Network
Thursday, April 19th
(All times Eastern)
Cincinnati Reds (4-8) at St. Louis Cardinals (9-3), 1:45 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 2.63)
St. Louis - Adam Wainwright (0-2, 11.42)
(Sports Network) - Former St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright gets another chance to
turn things around in 2012 today, when the Cardinals host the Cincinnati Reds
in the third and final game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals made it two in a row in the series and four of five overall
against Cincinnati on Wednesday, when Jaime Garcia pitched seven strong
innings and Rafael Furcal went 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored as St.
Louis clobbered the Reds, 11-1.
Carlos Beltran and Tyler Greene each hit a two-run home run for the Cardinals,
who have won four straight. Garcia (2-0) gave up just one run on seven hits
with three walks and three strikeouts.
Devin Mesoraco went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Reds, who have dropped five of
six. Mat Latos (0-2) was lit up for eight runs on nine hits with three walks
and six strikeouts over just 5 2/3 innings.
Wainwright, who pitched exclusively in relief over 61 appearances when the
Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, quickly developed into a starting ace
in subsequent seasons, winning 14, 11, 19 and 20 games between 2007-10 before
an elbow injury last spring cost him the entire 2011 season.
The 6-foot-7, 228-pounder has made two starts so far this April and had
unsuccessful results, dropping a pair of decisions - to Milwaukee and Chicago
- while giving up 11 hits and 11 runs in 8 2/3 innings.
He's walked three and struck out nine, but opposition batters have a .306
average against him, up 61 points from his career mark of .245.
Wainwright is 3-4 in 12 career games against the Reds with a 3.98 earned run
average.
Cincinnati counters with 35-year-old Key West, Fla. native Bronson Arroyo, who
starts for the third time overall this season and the 30th time in his career
against the Cardinals.
The 6-foot-4, 196-pounder has allowed 13 hits and four earned runs in starts
against Miami and Washington but has emerged with no-decisions in each while
the Reds have gone 1-1.
Arroyo is 7-12 with a 4.59 ERA in 186 1/3 innings against the Cardinals,
allowing 202 hits and walking 53 with 116 strikeouts.
He won a career-best 17 games in 2010 before tumbling to just nine wins in 32
starts last season, just the second time since 2003 that he finished short of
double-digit wins.
04/19 10:34:32 ET
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