Regardless of what’s in store for these final few starts, Michael McGreevy, in his first extended run as a starter, has already claimed his spot in the Cardinals’ rotation of the future, and he’s done it with an uncommon level of control.
The Cardinals and Reds continue their home series Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. in the second of three. St. Louis dropped the opener 11-6 as unproven members of the bullpen failed to deliver.
The rookie right-hander McGreevy (6-3, 4.44 ERA), called up for good to join the rotation on July 21, has made the most of his short time. He has been the team’s most valuable starter since then and is on pace to finish with a walk rate among the best in years by a rookie starter.
Since the start of August, McGreevy has five quality starts. That’s just two fewer than the rest of the team combined in that time. Only Sonny Gray (3) and Miles Mikolas (2) have more than one.
McGreevy also leads Cardinals starters in ERA since Aug. 1 at 4.11. Only Sonny Gray (4.56) and Miles Mikolas (4.70) are even in the neighborhood.
McGreevy’s walk rate (1.4/9IP) is among all-time rookie bests. Only three other rookie starters since 1995 with at least 12 starts have allowed 1.4 or fewer walks per nine innings pitched.
For comparison, Miles Mikolas, also known for his stinginess with the free passes, has only twice bettered that number in his career. Mikolas walked 1.3 per nine innings in 2018 and 2024.
McGreevy has achieved that success with steadily declining fastball usage. A season-low 48.1% of his pitches were fastballs last time out. Early on this season that number was regularly more than 60%.
In its place, McGreevy has used his changeup more often over the past month, a season-high 21% of the time in his last start. It’s a pitch he uses almost exclusively vs. left-handers.
For the Reds, left-hander Andrew Abbott (9-6, 2.79 ERA) will start. He went eight innings and permitted just one run in his last start, at San Diego. Abbott has a 1.69 ERA in three starts vs. the Cardinals this season.
The Cardinals are 73-78 and have lost six of seven. Unless they manage to win eight of their final 11, the Redbirds will finish with a losing record for the second time in three seasons, the first time they’ve done so since the late 1990s.
The Reds are 75-75 and two games out of the final wild-card spot. Fangraphs give the team a 7.5% chance of making the playoffs. Arizona is a half game ahead of Cincinnati in pursuit of the Mets, who now hold that final playoff position.
How to watch Cardinals vs. Reds
When: 6:45 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Busch Stadium in St. Louis
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (live stream link); KMOX (1120 AM and 104.1 FM), other stations in the Cardinals Radio Network as well as MLB.tv.
Your options to watch: Input your ZIP code and see your choices for watching Cardinals games.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Brendan Donovan, 2B
2. Iván Herrera, DH
3. Nolan Arenado, 3B
4. Alec Burleson, 1B
5. Thomas Saggese, SS
6. Lars Nootbaar, LF
7. Pedro Pagés, C
8. Jordan Walker, RF
9. Nathan Church, CF
P: Michael McGreevy, RHP
REDS
To be updated
P: Andrew Abbott, LHP
Injury report
Willson Contreras, 1B (right bicep tightness): Contreras has been dealing with pain in his bicep for more than a week. The bicep tightened up during an at-bat Monday, forcing him to leave the game early. He is day to day as he attempts to allow it to heal while he tries to avoid an IL stint that could end his season. Updated Sept. 16
Zack Thompson, LHP (shoulder, lat strain): Lefty starter remains on a throwing program in Jupiter, trying to overcome some setbacks as he increased the intensity of his throws through the course of the season. He’s visited St. Louis for evaluation to monitor if the injury worsens. Thompson has been sidelined since the start of March and was transferred to the 60-day injured list in early April. There is no timetable for his return to the mound. Updated Aug. 6
Masyn Winn, SS (right meniscus tear): After dealing with ongoing pain in his knee caused by a slight meniscus tear that scratched him from the lineup repeatedly, the Cardinals put Winn on the injured list on Saturday, ending his season. He was attempting to play through the pain after being assured by the medical team that he could not do more damage to the knee. Updated Sept. 13
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