The Reds look to extend their "winning-streak" to three games tonight as Homer Bailey takes the mound opposed by Yovani Gallardo. Homer has pitched 4 consecutive quality starts, sporting a solid 3.77 ERA. Amazingly, Bailey has produced this season despite sub-par peripherals. Compared to last season Bailey's K/9 is down while his BB/9 and HR/9 are up. Sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good.
Homer's counterpart hasn't been so lucky. Despite striking out nearly 1 hitter per inning, Gallardo has been knocked around to the tune of a 5.79 ERA in 6 starts. He has struggled with his control thus far (throwing 41% balls), with a BB/9 of 3.86. A patient approach might serve the Reds well in this one. It should be noted however, that Gallardo's inflated ERA is entirely the work of the St. Louis Cardinals' offense. In 2 starts against the WLBs, Gallardo allowed 14 earned runs over 5.2 innings pitched. All four starts against non-Cardinals teams were quality starts for Yovani.
Lineups after the jump!
