Cincinnati Reds face a daunting test against the surging St. Louis Cardinals, exposing cracks in both their pitching depth and their “draft and develop” philosophy. Can Sal Stewart’s hot bat and Spencer Steer’s breakout potential propel the Reds past unfavorable matchups, or will Terry Francona’s roster decisions and a shaky rotation—featuring Brady Singer, Chris Paddack, and Nick Lodolo—leave Cincinnati scrambling to keep pace?   Jeff Carr delivers a hard-hitting evaluation of the Reds’ lineup construction, highlights the significance of Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer in the series, and questions Nick Krall’s commitment to player development after the Rece Hinds trade to Miami. With bullpen fatigue setting in and rising pressure to outperform a Cardinals squad exceeding preseason expectations, the Reds must find answers fast. Can Elly De La Cruz silence his remaining doubters, and will this pivotal NL Central showdown reset Cincinnati’s season trajectory?   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…   Everydayer Club   If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join the Locked On Reds community: https://lockedonreds.supercast.com     BOOKMARK Sports Illustrated’s Cincinnati Reds site, Cincinnati Reds Talk! https://www.si.com/mlb/reds/               -     Also follow @jefffcarr and @soffenbaker on Twitter   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   5-Hour ENERGY Get candy-flavored chaos with Fruity Rainbow 5-hour ENERGY®️ Shots - available online at https://5hourENERGY.com or Amazon.   Nutrafol Find out why Nutrafol is the only hair growth supplement brand trusted by MLB. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you visit https://Nutrafol.com and enter promo code LOCKEDONMLB.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at https://Indeed.com/podcast   HIMS To get simple, online access to personalized, affordable care for ED, hair loss, weight loss, and more, visit https://Hims.comLOCKEDONMLB   KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything.     Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)   #Reds #CincinnatiReds #MLB Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.