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Apple TV+ will host Friday’s matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH. This game will mark the first home start of Reds pitcher Hunter Greene’s career. The Cardinals will counter with veteran lefty Steven Matz.
The Cardinals (7-4) are wrapping up their 10-game road trip with a three-game divisional series against the Reds. St. Louis took two of three from the Miami Marlins and are 3-2 over their last five. They send the left-handed Matz to the mound for his third start of the season. He rebounded from a horrible first start and gave up only three hits in 5.2 innings while striking out six in his last outing. Third baseman Nolan Arenado is off to a flaming hot start hitting .405 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. With the Reds’ poor pitching staff, look for Arenado to put on a show in this series.
The Reds (2-11) have lost nine consecutive games and have been generally lifeless on offense. They hold a collective .524 OPS and have scored just 10 runs over their past six games. It doesn’t help that two of the team’s best bats thus far — Tyler Stephenson (concussion) and Tyler Naquin (COVID-19 IL) — are currently unavailable. And on the pitching side, Cincy’s 5.92 ERA is the worst in the National League. But at least they do have the 22-year-old Greene, who has thrown 59 pitches at 100 mph or faster through two starts so far. Entering Thursday, no other MLB starter has thrown more than one such pitch this year, according to Statcast.
Cardinals vs. Reds
Pitchers: Steven Matz vs. Hunter Greene
First pitch: 6:40 p.m.
Cardinals local broadcast: none
Reds local broadcast: none
Live stream: Apple TV+ website, Apple TV+ app
Moneyline odds: Cardinals -120, Reds +100
To watch Friday’s Cardinals-Reds matchup, you’ll need a subscription to Apple TV+, available for $4.99 per month. Occasionally, Apple will offer a free trial, so be sure to check out their website for available deals. Once you have a valid subscription, you can live stream the game on the Apple TV+ website or using the Apple TV+ app.