Reds enter matchup against the Cardinals on losing streak
St. Louis Cardinals (66-69, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (68-66, third in the NL Central)
Cincinnati; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (6-11, 4.27 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 98 strikeouts); Reds: Zack Littell (9-8, 3.62 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 106 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds aim to break a three-game slide when they play the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cincinnati has a 68-66 record overall and a 36-29 record at home. The Reds have the 10th-ranked team batting average in the NL at .246.
St. Louis is 29-37 on the road and 66-69 overall. The Cardinals have gone 48-13 in games when they scored five or more runs.
The matchup Friday is the eighth meeting between these teams this season. The Cardinals have a 4-3 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Gavin Lux has a .275 batting average to lead the Reds, and has 22 doubles, a triple and five home runs. Austin Hays is 13 for 39 with a home run and seven RBIs over the last 10 games.
Willson Contreras has 30 doubles, 19 home runs and 73 RBIs while hitting .255 for the Cardinals. Alec Burleson is 13 for 42 with two doubles and a home run over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 4-6, .229 batting average, 3.93 ERA, outscored by 14 runs
Cardinals: 5-5, .226 batting average, 4.66 ERA, outscored by four runs
INJURIES: Reds: Graham Ashcraft: 15-Day IL (forearm), Ian Gibaut: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Stephenson: 10-Day IL (thumb), Chase Burns: 15-Day IL (elbow), Wade Miley: 60-Day IL (flexor), Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cardinals: John King: 15-Day IL (back), Brendan Donovan: 10-Day IL (groin), Victor Scott II: 10-Day IL (ankle), Nolan Arenado: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Zack Thompson: 60-Day IL (lat)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.