Reds at Cardinals, Game 3 - Preview and Lineups

Wade Miley is something akin to the Eiffel Tower at Kings Island.

It’s there, prominent and entrenched. You know it, because you can plainly see it. There’s not a whole lot to it, either, seeing as you kind of just stand there and look around at the top. From it, though, you can see all the other cool and amazing things that you’d rather be experiencing with your time.

And if you’re scared of achieving great heights, it might scare the hell out of you.

So far, the Miley Experience with the Cincinnati Reds has amounted to 3.2 IP and a groin strain, with a 16.20 ERA in tow. His fastball velocity is down an mph, his cutter velocity is down almost two mph, and oddly enough, his changeup - on which he’s relied upon early more than ever before - is actually up almost a full mph, meaning a lot of what’s coming out of the soft-tossin’ lefty’s hand just looks like the same old offering each time.

Hopefully, that ship gets pointed in the right direction today, since another rough outing could spell the end of his tenure in the rotation this year (except for the inevitable barrage of doubleheaders wreaking havoc on the schedule). The St. Louis Cardinals have struggled in early going against LHP, ranking 28th in MLB against them in wRC+ and 29th in wOBA so far.

Maybe that means they’re just due.

St. Louis will send a lefty of their own to the hill in 31 year old rookie Kwang Hyun Kim, a veteran star from the Korean League with SK Wyverns. He only has 4.2 IP under his belt so far this year in a mix of starting and relief, and odds are he won’t be in the game too deep today. Still, with a lefty on to start, the starting lineup David Bell is rolling out is extremely righty-heavy, which you’ll see in about four seconds if you read at an average pace.

First pitch is again set for 8:15 PM ET, so get a nap in already.

Reds Lineup

Cardinals ‘Lineup’