It’s the Reds. It’s the Cardinals. It’s peak NL Central baseball.

The Cincinnati Reds pitching staff isn’t going to be the worst starting staff in all of baseball this year, right?

Right?

After yet another implosion from starter Graham Ashcraft last evening, I took a look at the recent run of form of the group and...well, let’s just say it has been pretty horrendous. Over the last 30 days, not a starting staff in Major League Baseball has a higher ERA (6.53) than the Reds unit, while their 5.61 FIP has been worsted by only that of the lowly Oakland A’s (5.91).

It has been bleak. It has been underfunded, and outgunned. It has been injury-riddled, with Nick Lodolo out and Connor Overton likely done for. In Ben Lively We Trust for the time being, as the veteran righty gets the nod once again tonight in hopes of showing the world that his last outing was no fluke.

Such is the state of things at the moment despite the overall din of the division in general. Thanks for that, Bob - bailing on a season with no clear division leader before it even starts. That’s the kind of gumption that makes me want to be a sports fan after all.

Anyway, the last-place Reds will get the opportunity to pull into a veritable tie with the fourth-place St. Louis Cardinals with a win tonight, and to do so they’ll be up against veteran LHP Steven Matz. As such, there’s a righty-heavy lineup out there for Cincinnati tonight, one that doesn’t feature Wil Myers and his league-worst xwOBA.

(I apologize. It’s the 2nd worst in the league among the 223 MLB players with at least 120 PA this year. He somehow jumped Oswaldo Cabrera last night!)

First pitch this evening is once again scheduled for 6:40 PM ET. Go Reds!

Reds Lineup

Cardinals Lineup