MLB Game Preview - Cincinnati at St. Louis

Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:15 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals will send one of baseball's hottest pitchers against one of the game's hottest hitters Friday night when they host the Cincinnati Reds to open a four-game series.

Dakota Hudson (13-6, 3.47 ERA) has won his last three starts while pitching 18 1/3 scoreless innings. He has walked nine batters but allowed just seven hits during that span.

Hudson is 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA in three starts against the Reds this season. His career ERA against Cincinnati is 3.32 in four appearances.

The Reds offense is led by rookie outfielder Aristides Aquino, who became the first big-leaguer to hit 13 homers in his first 100 at-bats.

"It's ridiculous, man. I'm really happy for him," Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart told MLB.com. "He made a wholesale swing change from last year to this year. Obviously, the results speak for themselves, but he's an infectious guy. He's got an infectious personality. He keeps everybody smiling and laughing. I'm really happy that, one, he's on our team and two, he's had the start that he's had. It's been really cool to watch."

Aquino hit his 14th homer, a two-run shot, Thursday night in a 4-3 loss to the Marlins. That set a National League rookie record for home runs in a month.

The Cardinals lost 4-1 in Milwaukee on Wednesday to snap a six-game winning streak. But they have won 15 of their last 19 games, and they will try to sustain that momentum after enjoying their first day off since Aug. 8.

They lead the NL Central by 1 1/2 games over the Chicago Cubs.

Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong is back in the regular lineup after recovering from a bruised toe. He is 6-for-9 with two doubles, that homer and three RBIs in his last three games.

Wong is batting .362 in August with a .436 on-base percentage.

"At this point, with how we've been playing, you don't want to miss out," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Especially when I'm contributing like I am, I want to be in there. I want to be helping. I want to be playing. I want to be a part of this. I want to be doing whatever I can to keep us at the top."

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has hit safely in six consecutive games, going 12-for-23 during that span. He regained his hitting stroke after recovering from a torn thumb tendon.

"He's playing well," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told the Post-Dispatch. "He's got a strong desire to compete, which we want to reward and always want him out there. Here's the thing: He missed a month. So this is a guy who prepares to catch 162 games. When he missed a month, he feels like he's gotten his rest. So, (that) definitely factors in."

The Reds will open the series with Trevor Bauer (10-11, 4.34) on the mound. He is 1-3 with a 7.62 ERA in five starts since arriving in a trade with the Cleveland Indians.

In one career start against the Cardinals, back in 2015, Bauer allowed one run in 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 loss. So he will be seeing lots of unfamiliar faces in this start.

The Reds, who won three of four games against the Marlins, are in fourth place in the division 10 1/2 games back of the Cardinals. They are nine games back of the NL's second wild-card spot.

--Field Level Media