The time is running out on the Cincinnati Reds, even if it seems everyone else is also intent on not taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them. Tonight the Reds are in the midwest to start a series in St. Louis with the Cardinals as the two battle it out for 3rd place in the division and very slim chances at going on a run to take the third and final wild card spot. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45pm ET.
Starting Lineups
Cincinnati Reds |
St. Louis Cardinals |
| TJ Friedl – CF | Brendan Donovan – 2B |
| Noelvi Marte – RF | Ivan Herrera – DH |
| Miguel Andujar – DH | Alec Burleson – LF |
| Austin Hays – LF | Willson Contreras – 1B |
| Sal Stewart – 1B | Lars Nootbaar – RF |
| Tyler Stephenson – C | Nolan Arenado – 3B |
| Elly De La Cruz – SS | Thomas Saggese – SS |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B | Jimmy Crooks – C |
| Matt McLain – 2B | Victor Scott II – CF |
| Zack Littell – RHP | Matthew Liberatore – LHP |
There were some changes to the original lineup. Spencer Steer was at first base and hitting 8th, but he was scratched from the lineup with neck spasms. Ke’Bryan Hayes was originally out of the lineup, but is now in and at third as Sal Stewart goes from third base to first.
Starting Pitchers
| Pitcher | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB | K |
| Zack Littell | 171.1 | 3.78 | 1.12 | 29 | 120 |
| Matthew Liberatore | 140.2 | 4.35 | 1.33 | 38 | 110 |
| Links: Zack Littell’s Stats | Matthew Liberatore’s Stats |
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Zack Littell
Since being acquired at the trade deadline by the Reds, Zack Littell has struggled to find consistency. He’s given up eight home runs in his seven starts with Cincinnati and has a 4.50 ERA. The last time he took the mound he allowed two runs in 6.0 innings in a win against San Diego.
The splits this season for Littell suggest that righties have been a little better across the board against him. And that is true. But since joining Cincinnati that hasn’t been the case. With the Reds righties are hitting .250/.293/.539 against him – showing off a ton of power. Left-handed hitters are hitting just .222/.263/.363 against him since he donned a Reds uniform.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 378 | 91 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 13 | 64 | .256 | .289 | .472 |
| LHH | 320 | 72 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 56 | .241 | .280 | .431 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Slider | Split | |
| Velo | 92.0 | 91.3 | 85.8 | 83.3 |
| Usage | 23% | 15% | 34% | 27% |
Matthew Liberatore
Since the start of July the Cardinals have not been able to get many innings from Matthew Liberatore per start. He has recorded one out in the 6th inning in his 11 starts since July began. Prior to then he had 12 starts in which he had recorded at least one out in the 6th inning (out of 16 starts). He has faced the Reds twice this season and allowed five earned runs in 8.0 combined innings.
Right-handed hitters are hitting for a bit more power than lefties are against Liberatore, but the difference isn’t much. Lefties have a small advantage in average but a big time advantage in how often they get on base against him.
Splits
| Split | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| RHH | 475 | 117 | 25 | 1 | 15 | 25 | 81 | .267 | .307 | .431 |
| LHH | 130 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 29 | .281 | .357 | .421 |
Pitch Usage
| 4-sm | 2-sm | Cutter | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Velo | 93.8 | 94.1 | 90.2 | 77.3 | 86.4 | 88.5 |
| Usage | 28% | 12% | 11% | 15% | 22% | 12% |
When and Where
- Game time: 7:45pm ET
- Where: Busch Stadium
- Watch: FanDuel Sports Network, MLB.tv
- Listen: 700WLW AM (Cincinnati area)
- Forecast: 88°, mostly sunny, 10% chance of rain
News and Notes
Lineup shakeup
A lineup shakeup isn’t quite as cool as shake and bake chicken, but it’s still something. Elly De La Cruz still isn’t going to get a day off but he has been dropped to the 7th spot in the lineup today.
Brent Suter nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award
Major League Baseball announced the team nominees for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award this afternoon. Cincinnati’s nominee was Brent Suter. The award “recognizes the player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions both on and off the field.”
From the Reds:
Suter might only be in his second season with the Reds, but he’s called Cincinnati home for nearly three decades and has become a fixture in the community. Over the offseason, Suter became an official board member with the Reds Community Fund, the team’s nonprofit, which provides life-changing baseball, softball, educational and community building initiatives for kids. Suter has made several fan appearances, including the Reds Caravan in January, which includes other members of the organization as they drive to cities and states throughout “Reds Country.”
If you feel inclined to vote for such things – here’s the link to do so.
Wild Card Standings
With the division firmly out of reach, we are switching to the Wild Card standings for the rest of the season.
| Team | W | L | GB | Playoff Odds |
| Chicago | 85 | 64 | +8.5 | 100% |
| San Diego | 82 | 68 | +5.0 | 99.8% |
| New York | 77 | 73 | 0.0 | 80.5% |
| San Francisco | 75 | 74 | 1.5 | 9.0% |
| Arizona | 75 | 75 | 2.0 | 5.2% |
| Cincinnati | 74 | 75 | 2.5 | 4.9% |
| Playoff Odds via Fangraphs | ||||
The post Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals – September 15, 2025 appeared first on Redleg Nation.