CINCINNATI • All the offense the Cardinals have unleashed on the Reds in two games -- 18 runs, 11 plate appearances with the bases loaded -- forced Cincinnati to rewrite its pitching plans for the weekend.
Some of the players who have contributed to the surge of runs are taking a seat and manager Mike Matheny has opted to unleash the bench. Backups Yairo Munoz, Harrison Bader, and uber-utility fielder Greg Garcia are all in the lineup at Great American Ball Park. Of the backups, only Francisco Pena didn't crack the lineup. Yadier Molina is behind the plate for Miles Mikolas; Molina had a home run and three RBIs Friday night.