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The Reds look to win their second consecutive series against a divisional opponent Sunday when they play the rubber game against the St. Louis Cardinals. In doing so, the Reds will turn to Raisel Iglesias making his first professional start in Major League Baseball. If the Reds win, they will leave Cincinnati with a 5-1 record before playing the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Iglesias pitched 14.2 innings this spring giving up 6 earned runs, walking 5 and striking out 14. While he had an 0-3 record at the end of his time in Goodyear, Johnny Cueto will tell you that a pitcher's wins and losses are no way indicative of their ability to pitch. It's been articulated by people smarter than myself that we should be able to look for a plus fastball and slider out of young Raisel. Additionally, Iglesias also sports a curveball and changeup.
The Cardinals will rely on Carlos Martinez, making the eighth start of his professional career. Martinez made seven of those starts in 2014 where he went 2-4 with a 4.03 ERA. While he averaged 9 strikeouts every 9 innings in 2014, he also averaged 9 walks in 9 frames. His 2014 mediocrity may be deceiving, however. He is still one of the Cardinals' most highly prized prospects known for his fastball and slider. Some have even gone so far as to wax poetic on a comparison to Carlos Carasco.
If the Reds want to gain a game on the Cardinals today, the bats in the latter portion-not-involving-Hamilton-Votto-or-Frazier of their lineup will need to wake up. With an expected shuffling of the lineup for getaway day, hopefully there will be a spark coming from Brayan Pena. If not, the Reds may have to continue to rely on three players doing the work of eight. Go Reds! They're my favorite team!
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