Cardinals starter Andre Pallante is known for his ability to keep the ball on the ground, and that will be even more critical Monday.
Pallante and the Cardinals begin a four-game set in Cincinnati vs. the Reds on Monday at 5:40 p.m.
The right-hander Andre Pallante (2-1, 4.05) leads all pitchers who've thrown at least 25 innings with a 67.4% groundball rate, up nearly six percentage points from his final number last season.
Accentuating that trait is even more critical at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, rated as the over the past three seasons.
There are 27% more homers hit there than average.
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When Pallante doesn't keep the ball on the ground, things go poorly.
Opponents are hitting .533 against Pallante when they manage to lift a fly ball. That's the worst average allowed by any Cardinals pitcher with more than five flyballs permitted.
The Reds will counter with right-hander Nick Martinez (0-3, 5.40), who ranks 81st of 86 qualified starters. His groundball rate (31.3%) is less than half of Pallante's.
Last season, despite throwing just more than 140 innings, Martinez ranked in the top 20 in MLB pitchers in wins above replacement, per Fangraphs. This year, Cincinnati has lost all five of his starts.
The 34-year-old, who spent four seasons in Japan mid-career, has issued 21 walks through his first 21 starts as a member of the Reds, third-fewest in that span since 1893, per Elias.
Two-time World Series champion Terry Francona is in his first year with managing Reds.
The Cardinals are 12-16 and 4 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago after taking two of three from Milwaukee at Busch over the weekend. St. Louis is 2-11 away from home.
The Reds are 15-13 after a weekend sweep of the Rockies in Colorado.
Saggese sent down, Loutos designated for assignment
Before the game, the Cardinals optioned infielder Thomas Saggese to Triple -A Memphis, designated pitcher Ryan Loutos for assignment and called up utility man Jose Barrero from Memphis.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Lars Nootbaar, LF
2. Willson Contreras, 1B
3. Brendan Donovan, 2B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Nolan Gorman, DH
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. Pedro Pagés, C
8. Victor Scott II, CF
9. Masyn Winn, SS
P: Andre Pallante, RHP
REDS
1. TJ Friedl, CF
2. Matt McLain, 2B
3. Elly De La Cruz, SS
4. Austin Hays, DH
5. Gavin Lux, LF
6. Noelvi Marte, 3B
7. Spencer Steer, 1B
8. Jake Fraley, RF
9. Jose Trevino, C
P: Nick Martinez, RHP
Injury report
Ivan Herrera, C (bone bruise): Catcher will run cutting and rounding sprints Tuesday and, if necessary Wednesday, to determine his readiness for game-speed action. He and the Cardinals hope that he'll begin a rehab assignment as soon as Thursday, and if Tuesday goes well he could travel Wednesday to join a minor-league affiliate and be in the lineup Thursday.  Updated April 28
Zack Thompson, LHP (lat strain):Â Lefty is making strides on his throwing program back in Jupiter, Florida, and he's nearing a schedule that will start to resemble spring training. Thompson went through multiple checkups and scans to monitor the healing of a tear in his lat on the left side, and they did not show any setback to delayed Thompson's scheduled move to the injured list. On April 7, Thompson was transferred to the 60-day IL. Updated April 23
