In the series opener, the Reds will turn to right-hander Johnny Cueto (4-1, 3.21 ERA), who is coming off of his worst showing of the season. Last Friday in Phoenix, Cueto surrendered seven runs on 11 hits over 4 1/3 innings. It marked the most earned runs he had allowed since Sept. 22, 2010.
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Martin Perez will make his third start of the season for Texas. The 22-year-old southpaw totes a 1-1 record with a 3.65 ERA.
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• In his first big league outing since late May, Perez limited the Cardinals to two runs on five hits and one walk in seven innings on Saturday. He earned his first victory of the season and needed only 82 pitches. The performance left his skipper impressed. "You didn't see him lose his presence," Washington said. "He just kept pounding the strike zone, changing speeds and working fast. More than anything, though, his mound presence never changed and never wavered. He never had to calm himself down one bit. He was in charge tonight. "I've always seen the stuff, but this is the first time he's shown he's a big league pitcher." Perez stressed the importance of throwing strikes. "Just throw a lot of strikes and attack the zone early," Perez said. "Don't get behind in the count. You get behind in the count and you get in trouble. I just need to do the same thing I did last week."
