The Cincinnati Reds will look to rebound after getting blown out in the first game of today’s day/night doubleheader with the St. Louis Cardinals. They made plenty of roster changes between the two games (read more about that below) and maybe that can help them get things right in the nightcap. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm ET.
Starting Lineups
St. Louis Cardinals |
Cincinnati Reds
|
| JJ Wetherholt – 2B | Blake Dunn – CF |
| Ivan Herrera – DH | Elly De La Cruz – SS |
| Alec Burleson – 1B | JJ Bleday – DH |
| Jordan Walker – RF | Sal Stewart – 3B |
| Nolan Gorman – 3B | Nathaniel Lowe – 1B |
| Masyn Winn – SS | Matt McLain – 2B |
| Bryan Torres – LF | Will Benson – RF |
| Pedro Pages – C | P.J. Higgins – C |
| Victor Scott II – CF | TJ Friedl – LF |
| Kyle Leahy – RHP | Chase Petty – RHP |
Starting Pitchers
Chase Petty
This will be the second start for the Reds for Petty this season. In his first one he had the best outing of his limited big league career as he allowed three runs in 5.2 innings. He’s been inconsistent in Triple-A with Louisville this season where he’s mostly either been on or he’s been off.
This season the splits have been of the reverse kind for Petty. Righties are hitting very well against him, showing a high average, walking at a good rate, making plenty of contact, and hitting for some power. Left-handed hitters are hitting for a so-so average against him, are walking at a good rate, but are only showing mediocre power against him this year.
Splits (AAA and MLB in 2026)
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 83 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | .297 | .361 | .514 |
| LHH | 84 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 20 | .243 | .333 | .405 |
Pitch Usage (AAA and MLB in 2026)
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 96.9 | 96.4 | 87.8 | 88.7 |
| Usage | 9% | 29% | 42% | 21% |
Kyle Leahy
After a tough start to the season, Leahy has turned things around. At the end of April his ERA was 5.52 through six starts and he had given up six home runs in 29.1 innings pitched. Over his three starts in May he’s allowed two earned runs in 16.1 innings and hasn’t given up a home run. He has walked nine batters during the month and his control has been spotty throughout the season.
The platoon splits are big for Leahy in 2026. Left-handed hitters are killing him, hitting for a very high average, walking a lot, making tons of contact, and hitting for a good amount of power. Right-handed hitters are doing mostly the opposite. They are hitting for a low average, they aren’t walking much, and they aren’t hitting for much power. They are making contact at a solid rate, but they aren’t getting much from it.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 92 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 17 | .217 | .286 | .349 |
| LHH | 113 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 17 | .337 | .425 | .520 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 93.9 | 93.8 | 82.5 | 87.2 | 88.0 |
| Usage | 32% | 14% | 16% | 28% | 11% |
When and Where
- Game time: 7:15pm ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Watch: FOX
- Listen: 700 WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 73°, cloudy, 5% chance of rain
News and Notes
Lots of roster moves
Between the games today the Reds made five roster moves. One was to make Chase Petty the 27th man for the game, which was expected. But the team also activated Caleb Ferguson from the injured list, called up Zach Maxwell, and optioned Jose Franco and Connor Phillips to Triple-A in a bullpen shake up. We’ve got more details in our piece from earlier if you wanted to read more about each player.
Getting embarrassed
As pointed out by Tom Mitsoff in the game one recap earlier today, the Reds are now 1-10 against the National League Central this season. They won their first game against the division this year and have lost 10 in a row since then.
Division Standings
*entering the day*
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Milwaukee | 30 | 18 | 0.0 | 79.5% |
| Chicago | 28 | 21 | 2.5 | 28.0% |
| St. Louis | 29 | 22 | 2.5 | 61.8% |
| Cincinnati | 26 | 24 | 5.0 | 14.3% |
| Pittsburgh | 26 | 25 | 5.5 | 45.1% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||