When: Today and Wednesday, 8:10 p.m.

        Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis.

        Radio: WLW-AM (700).

        TV: Fox Sports Network, both games.

        Records: Cincinnati 28-46, fifth place NL Central; St. Louis 40-35, second place NL Central.

        Probable starting pitchers:

        Today, RHP Chris Reitsma (4-6, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Andy Benes (6-5, 5.91)

        Wednesday, LHP Lance Davis (0-0, 8.22) vs. RHP Dustin Hermanson (6-6, 5.90).

        The bats: Mark McGwire (.233, seven homers, 16 RBI) feels like he's making steady progress after recovering from a knee injury. Third baseman Albert Pujols (.349, 20 homers, 64 RBI) still looks like the NL Rookie of the Year.

        The arms: Cincinnati will miss St. Louis' top two starters, Matt Morris (10-4) and Darryl Kile (8-6). Closer Dave Veres, who has 11 saves, has 34 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.

        The rest: This will mark the first time in 2001 that Ken Griffey Jr. and McGwire have played against each other. Griffey was sidelined with his injured left hamstring when the Cardinals won five of seven games against Cincinnati earlier this season. Griffey has outhomered McGwire in their head-to-head games, 17-16.

        After Cardinals: Reds come home for four-game series against the Cubs (Thursday-Sunday) and Pirates (July 2-5)

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