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The Cincinnati Reds hope the return of one of their young, talented pitchers will help turn around their fortunes and salvage the finale of their three-game series against the host St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

After missing the past month due to weakness in his right shoulder, right-hander Rhett Lowder (3-3, 5.40 ERA) will return to the rotation for the Reds.

Cincinnati held leads of 3-0 in the series opener on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday, only to lose both games, falling to a woeful 2-12 against National League Central rivals this season.

Lowder wil pitch for the first time since coming out of a game against the Chicago Cubs on May 7. In his two starts before his stint on the 15-day injured list, Lowder, 24, was roughed up by Pittsburgh and Chicago for 11 runs and eight walks in just 4 1/3 innings.

'We kind of got the problem and narrowed it down pretty early, so it was just hyper-specific work to do strengthening some areas,' Lowder said of the shoulder. 'It's going to be continuing to stay on that and make sure it doesn't happen again.'

In 2024, Lowder earned his first major league win in his lone career appearance against the Cardinals.

Cincinnati, which has lost three games in a row, will need a victory on Sunday to avoid a series sweep by a division rival that is riding a three-game winning streak.

Adding to the Reds' woes is the departure of pitching coach Derek Johnson on an indefinite leave for personal reasons, replaced by assistant Matt Tracy.

The Cardinals will counter on Sunday with right-hander Michael McGreevy (3-5. 2.98 ERA), who will make his 13th start of the season and has consistently provided length and stability for manager Oliver Marmol.

McGreevy has dominated the Reds in two career starts, going 2-0 with a microscopic 0.69 ERA.

The Cardinals enter Sunday boasting momentum, driven by a formidable offense that has consistently put pressure on the Reds.

In the series opener on Friday, the Cardinals scored 10 runs, with the team leaning heavily on the power of Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson to overwhelm the Cincinnati pitching staff.

The Cardinals have 30 runs in their four matchups with the Reds this season, winning three of the first four encounters. Walker hit his 16th homer Saturday, his third this season against Cincinnati.

'We are putting together quality at-bats when it matters most,' Marmol said. 'Alec and Jordan are doing a phenomenal job of driving the ball, and we took advantage of some key opportunities. Against a team like Cincinnati, you have to capitalize on mistakes, and we did that.'

Conversely, the Reds find themselves at an inflection point.

After a solid start to the year, they have struggled to maintain offensive consistency. Saturday's loss dropped them below .500 for the first time since they lost on Opening Day to the Boston Red Sox. Cincinnati is 11-21 since opening the season 20-11.

'It's about execution and bouncing back,' Spencer Steer said of the team's recent struggles. 'We have the talent in this clubhouse to score runs against anyone. We know what Michael McGreevy brings to the table, but we just need to stick to our approach, get guys on base, and play clean baseball.'

--Field Level Media