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Well, here we go. The final stretch for the division race commences tonight in St. Louis. The Reds will try to bring some of their Smokestack Lighting to Busch Stadium as they face young Tyler Lyons. The Reds beat Lyons back in June behind home-runs from Jay Bruce and Devin Mesoraco. The Cardinals will hope to take advantage of Mike Leake's recent struggles. After pitching wonderfully in June and July, Leake has been less than stellar in August, with an ERA over 6. Equally discouraging, Leake is 0-2 vs. the Cardinals this year giving up 10 earned runs in 10 innings against the Redbirds.
After a losing series at home to the Brewers, the Reds could really use a win in the opener of this pivotal series. Could this be the week when the Reds answer the playoff bell? "C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.