Look for Reds southpaw Andrew Abbott to give the Cardinals fits. Abbott is 6-6 with a 3.40 ERA. Those aren't bad numbers, but the Cardinals rank in the bottom-three against lefty pitching in many major offensive categories, including batting, slugging percentage and OPS. They are hitting only .215 vs lefty throwers.

The Cardinals are going with Miles Mikolas, who defies mediocrity. He's 6-6 with a 4.68 ERA, which climbs to 4.81 when he pitches at home.

St. Louis is dealing with a fatigue factor after splitting a doubleheader with the Braves on Wednesday.