Everything to know for Cards-Reds opener

March 30th, 2021

The Reds and Cardinals don't get to ease into the 2021 edition of their National League Central division rivalry. It begins right away with Opening Day on Thursday at Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati and St. Louis have played some spirited games and have battled in many pivotal series over the years. Despite that, the Reds have not won the season series since 2011, which was also the last year the Cardinals won the World Series.

"It’s a great way to start the season," Reds left fielder Jesse Winker said. "It’s your division. It’s a team we battled year after year. It’s an outstanding team, and we’re just going to go out there and we’re going to compete. It’s going to be fun, man. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to getting it going, and it’s always great to open up at home."

• Reds look to resurgent bats for deeper run

The last time the two teams met on Opening Day was 2014. St. Louis took a 1-0 victory as Adam Wainwright and Johnny Cueto dueled for seven innings. The clubs also met in 2010, when Albert Pujols sent the Reds to an 11-6 loss with a pair of home runs.

Fans will be welcomed back to GABP for the first time since 2019, although at a reduced capacity of 30 percent. That means roughly 12,000 fans will be in attendance with the hope of some normalcy returning after the 2020 season.

Coming off their first postseason berth since 2013, the Reds will try to build off the stretch run that pushed them into Wild Card position. Their core lineup remains intact with some adjustments. Longtime third baseman Eugenio Suárez has moved to shortstop and feels refreshed, while Mike Moustakas has transitioned back to his natural position of third base. The changes allow for prospect Jonathan India to make his Major League debut at second base following a sensational spring.

For the Cardinals, Thursday will resemble the first time they get to brandish their Nolan Arenado-filled lineup for a regular-season game. The star third baseman had a relatively quiet camp, picking the Grapefruit League finale for his first homer, but he’s done nothing but fit in with his new team to serve as a potentially lethal duo with close friend Paul Goldschmidt.

• Cards' depth, vets will need to shine in '21

St. Louis will be looking for its third consecutive postseason appearance after unceremonious exits each of the past two Octobers. The club believes in its depth more this year than in recent memory -- and it’s been tested early.

“All the years I've done this, [camp] seems to have gone by as fast as I can ever remember,” said Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. “I think where our club is, the excitement around this team, I think we're all excited to head north and to really get things started and have the games count.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?

First pitch for the 2021 opener is set for Thursday at 4:10 p.m. ET/3:10 p.m. CT, broadcast live on Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Midwest, along with MLB.TV, and on the airwaves on 700 WLW/Reds Radio Network and KMOX/Cardinals Radio Network, as well as MLB Audio.

The starting lineups

Cardinals: A bottom-third lineup begging for an upgrade this offseason got one in the form of Arenado -- and my, does he change the makeup of the Cardinals’ offense. Goldschmidt now has a big bat to protect him, and there’s less pressure on players up and down the lineup who may have been pressing in years past. There’s definitely plenty to prove, but when this lineup is clicking on all cylinders, it can rival any in the Majors.

Projected lineup

Reds: An offense that ranked last with a .212 team batting average is looking to show that it has the ability to produce in line with previous track records. Joey Votto, who missed nearly two weeks with COVID-19, could be a last-minute decision.

Projected lineup

Who are the starting pitchers?

Cardinals: Flaherty will be making his second consecutive Opening Day start, joining Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean and three other Cardinals to have multiple opener nods before turning 26. Flaherty will be looking to move past a disappointing 2020 season that saw him amass a 4.91 ERA through several stops and starts. The righty turned it on down the stretch and looked rather crisp, though results were modest. The Cards have full faith in Flaherty -- who faces the question of a long-term extension -- to be their ace once again, and it all starts on Thursday.

Reds: Luis Castillo will be making his second Opening Day start for the Reds and his first since 2019. Over 12 starts in 2020, Castillo was 4-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, though he finished the season on a high note, going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA in his final five starts. One of those was huge for the Reds, against the Cardinals on Sept. 11. at Busch Stadium, when Castillo threw a two-hit complete game for a 3-1 victory. It began a stretch during which Cincinnati won 12 of its final 16 games to make the playoffs. Castillo has one of the most formidable changeups in the Majors, and he will likely use it the majority of the time to put away Cardinals hitters.

How may the bullpens line up after the starter?

Cardinals: The Cardinals believe their bullpen is as deep as it’s been in recent years, returning almost all the same arms from 2020. But there is one big reintroduction: Jordan Hicks is fully healthy for the first time since June 2019, after undergoing Tommy John surgery and then opting out of the ’20 season as a high-risk individual (Type 1 diabetes). He won’t be rushed into the closer role, especially since St. Louis believes it has several closing-caliber pitchers in Alex Reyes, Andrew Miller and Giovanny Gallegos. Tyler Webb, Ryan Helsley and Génesis Cabrera are all slated for middle-inning duties.

Reds: Manager David Bell will finally get his wish of having multiple options for the closer's role with Amir Garrett, Sims and Sean Doolittle all being options for the ninth inning. Tejay Antone could be used anywhere from the fifth through the eighth innings, especially if there is a lead to hold down. Garrett and Sims had late starts to pitching in spring games because of injuries but looked good. Garrett, in particular, threw four perfect innings with 10 strikeouts. Cam Bedrosian and Cionel Pérez had very nice camps to make the team. Pérez gives Bell a second left-hander who can get hitters out on both sides of the plate.

Any injuries of note?

Cardinals: Several. Harrison Bader (right forearm soreness) is the only projected Opening Day starter who’s sidelined, and he’s likely out until the beginning of May, but two Cards starting pitchers will miss their first few turns through the rotation. Kwang Hyun Kim (back soreness) is slated to miss 2-3 starts, and Miles Mikolas (right shoulder) is eyeing late April-early May. After surgery kept him out of the 2020 season, Mikolas hasn’t faced live hitters since Feb. 25 -- the only time he did so this spring.

Reds: Rotation members Sonny Gray (back) and Michael Lorenzen (right shoulder) are on the injured list. Outfielder Shogo Akiyama is also on the IL because of a left hamstring strain. Senzel was bothered at the end of camp by a left groin strain but appears ready to go. Antone has been bothered by hip and groin issues much of the latter portion of camp.

Who is hot and who is not?

Cardinals: Doubts about O’Neill’s bat have been put to rest for the time being after he slashed .356/.383/.556 during the spring. He’s slated for an important role as the starting left fielder next to an equally crucial player in Carlson, who himself turned it on as spring progressed. Other standouts from camp include John Nogowski (a 28-year-old rookie who made the team with a roster-leading 12 RBIs and .992 OPS) and the ageless Adam Wainwright, who led the club in innings pitched (22 1/3) alongside a 2.42 ERA. Matt Carpenter, for his part, is looking to put it together after going just 2-for-37 during Grapefruit League action, while DeJong also had an uneven spring.

Reds: Nick Castellanos batted .333 with three homers and a .976 OPS in 17 spring games as he tries to put a subpar first season in Cincinnati behind him. India also hit three homers during a sensational spring to earn his spot on the big league team after beginning in Minor League camp. On the pitching side, Garrett threw four perfect innings with 10 strikeouts -- including his first nine batters in a row. Moustakas batted .159 (7-for-44) with one homer in 17 games. Although he had three scoreless outings mixed in, Doolittle posted a 14.63 ERA in eight games with four homers allowed.

Anything else fans might want to know?

• Though he’s not pitching on Thursday, Wainwright will be embarking on his 16th season in a Cardinals uniform. What’s more, he and batterymate Molina are chasing history, just 33 starts behind sole possession of third all-time in regular-season starter-catcher batteries, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Though almost everything has to go right to hit that mark, they can rest assured they need just 10 starts to pass Don Drysdale and Johnny Roseboro for fourth all-time. They’ll get their first chance in the second game of this series on Saturday.

• For the 37-year-old Votto, the longest-tenured member of the Reds, this will be his 13th consecutive Opening Day with the club since 2008.

• The Cardinals will look to make it 14 consecutive winning seasons starting Thursday -- a flashy mark Arenado admitted was emblematic of why he elected to waive his no-trade clause to join St. Louis. All told, the Cards have just one season below .500 this millennium.

• India will be the first Reds second baseman to make his Major League debut on Opening Day since Pete Rose in 1963.