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Bud Norris' seasonal numbers don't look that good, but that could be a mirage. He strikes out more than a batter an inning. He gets more ground balls than fly balls. He doesn't give up many home runs. And yet, his ERA is over 6. I'm sure an Astros fan has a good explanation for this, but looking at it from a strictly numbers perspective, his ERA is about 2 runs too high. That is to say, the Reds would do well to not take him lightly.
Travis Wood will be pitching as close to home as he ever has a big leaguer tonight (though St. Louis is slightly closer to Little Rock), but I doubt that means THAT much to him. The kid has been nails so far in the big leagues, but still hasn't been able to get his first win in the majors. Hopefully that changes tonight.
This is a relatively easy road trip compared to the last one, but that doesn't make it a slam dunk. We're heading into the dog days, which is not a good time to start playing like dogs.
Go Reds!