McGreevy Gets the Ball With Series on the Line
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Game Day Preview: McGreevy Gets the Ball With Series on the Line in Cincinnati
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals close out their five-game series against the Cincinnati Reds this morning at Great American Ball Park with the series tied and another opportunity to leave town with a winning road trip.
First pitch is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. CT. Right-hander Michael McGreevy will start for St. Louis against Cincinnati right-hander Brady Singer.
St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Michael McGreevy, 5-9, 3.48 ERA, 91 strikeouts
Cincinnati Reds: RHP Brady Singer, 5-11, 4.66 ERA, 104 strikeouts
The Cardinals enter at 65-63 after Cincinnati rallied for a 5-4 victory Wednesday night, evening the series at two games apiece.
St. Louis had a chance to clinch the series behind Matthew Liberatore and did enough early against Chase Burns to put itself in position. Nathan Church and Bryan Torres delivered two-out RBI singles in the fourth inning to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead against one of the National League’s top pitchers.
Burns was not at his best, allowing six hits and two walks over five innings, but he struck out eight and kept Cincinnati within striking distance.
The game changed in the sixth.
Matt McLain doubled, Elly De La Cruz followed with a single and Sal Stewart drove a 1-2 fastball from Liberatore 422 feet to center field for a three-run homer. What had been a well-pitched 2-0 Cardinals lead quickly became a 3-2 deficit, and Cincinnati eventually finished off the 5-4 comeback.
The loss dropped St. Louis to 65-63 and kept the Cardinals three games behind San Diego for the final National League Wild Card position. Arizona remains one game ahead of St. Louis, making every opportunity to gain ground increasingly important.
Today’s game is not complicated.
Win, and the Cardinals take three of five in Cincinnati.
Lose, and they leave after playing five games against a team below them in the standings without winning the series.
McGreevy gives St. Louis a reasonable chance to finish the job.
The 25-year-old enters with a 3.48 ERA, continuing a season in which his pitching has generally been better than his 5-9 record suggests. McGreevy is not going to overpower Cincinnati with triple-digit velocity. His success comes from command, movement and changing speeds while keeping hitters from sitting on one pitch.
That approach becomes especially important at Great American Ball Park, where elevated mistakes can leave quickly.
McGreevy must keep De La Cruz and Stewart from creating another big inning. Stewart’s home run Wednesday gave him 27 for the season and 94 RBI, while De La Cruz continues to create problems even when he is not driving the baseball. His speed, arm and ability to pressure a defense were all factors Wednesday.
The Cardinals cannot afford to give either of them additional opportunities with walks or defensive mistakes.
Singer enters with a 4.66 ERA, but his recent numbers should not encourage St. Louis to expect an easy afternoon.
The veteran right-hander has enough experience and movement to work deep into a game when hitters become impatient. His sinker and slider can generate ground balls, and he is capable of taking advantage of a lineup that expands the strike zone.
That puts the responsibility back on a Cardinals offense that has been inconsistent throughout the series.
Alec Burleson continues to be the club’s most dependable run producer. JJ Wetherholt has created opportunities near the top of the order, while Jordan Walker, Iván Herrera and Joshua Báez give St. Louis several hitters capable of producing extra-base damage.
Báez continues to adjust after his historic three-home-run debut at Wrigley Field. Major League pitchers have already changed the way they attack him, offering fewer pitches in the middle of the plate and testing whether he will chase breaking balls away.
That adjustment was always coming.
The next step is learning to take the walk, use the opposite field and wait for pitchers to make mistakes rather than trying to recreate his debut every afternoon.
The Cardinals also need more from the entire lineup rather than depending on one hitter to carry the offense.
Wednesday was a good example. St. Louis pushed Burns, reached base and built a 2-0 lead, but failed to create enough separation before Cincinnati finally broke through.
Against Singer, the Cardinals need to keep applying pressure.
A two-run lead at Great American Ball Park rarely feels comfortable. Neither does a three-run lead.
The best way to protect a bullpen is still to score more runs.
Today also concludes a demanding stretch of five games in four days. The Cardinals have used nearly every part of their pitching staff, including Quinn Mathews in Monday’s opener, Andre Pallante in the nightcap and Kyle Leahy on Tuesday.
McGreevy providing six or seven innings would be valuable beyond today’s result.
St. Louis travels directly to Philadelphia after the game to open another important series Friday night against a Phillies club currently occupying a Wild Card position. The Cardinals would much rather arrive there having won another series than needing to explain why another opportunity slipped away.
That is where this season stands now.
There are 34 games remaining after today.
The Cardinals are close enough to October for every game to matter, but far enough away that simply playing .500 baseball will not get them there.
They have to win series.
They had the opportunity Wednesday and missed it.
They get another one this morning.
Michael McGreevy gets the baseball.
Brady Singer stands in the way.
Win the finale, take three of five and head to Philadelphia with the Hunt for a Red October still moving forward.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals | MLB