Cardinals at Reds
The St. Louis Cardinals own the best record in baseball and have built their biggest lead this season in the National League Central. Among the reasons has been St. Louis' success against the Cincinnati Reds, having won five of the seven meetings - including a 9-2 rout in Friday's series opener. The visiting Cardinals will look to extend their four-game division lead in Saturday's middle game of the series.
Cincinnati's pitching was raked for 16 hits - including seven doubles - on Friday, continuing a three-game skid during which the Reds have surrendered 26 runs. Cincinnati has been shut down by St. Louis' pitching since pounding out a 13-4 victory in the first meeting this season. In the last six matchups, the Reds have scored a total of eight runs and failed to put up more than two in a game.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals LH Tyler Lyons (2-1, 2.66 ERA) vs. Reds RH Mat Latos (5-0, 2.90)
Lyons absorbed his first career defeat his last time out, yielding four runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 4-2 loss against San Francisco. He won his first two major-league starts, going seven innings in each and allowing a combined two runs and six hits. The 25-year-old southpaw is holding opponents to a .194 batting average - .125 on the road.
Latos was in line for his sixth victory in his last start, but Cincinnati's bullpen coughed up the lead after he held Pittsburgh to two runs (one earned) on two hits in six innings. He has struggled against the Cardinals, posting a 3-4 record and 6.85 ERA in nine career starts, but he won at St. Louis on April 29 with six scoreless innings. Latos is 3-0 in five home starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals 3B David Freese extended his hitting streak to 17 games - the longest active run in the majors - and 2B Matt Carpenter has hit safely in 16 straight. Allen Craig also is in double figures with an 11-game streak.
2. Reds 2B Brandon Phillips went 1-for-4 in his first game back after sitting out four contests with a forearm injury.
3. St. Louis was 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position Friday, giving it a major league-best .343 mark in such situations.