The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to take on their divisional rival Cincinnati Reds in a Friday night game. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Ohio will be airing the matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds Odds
Oddsmakers are listing St. Louis (+140) as the underdog to Cincinnati (-150). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at -110 for over 9.5 runs and -110 for under 9.5. The game’s runline odds stand at -155 for picking the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +135 for the Reds -1.5 runs.
The Reds are 67-52 against the spread (ATS), but just 57-63 straight up (SU). The team’s lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 6.3 units ATS. Cincinnati has covered the spread only twice in its last seven games and the total went over in four of those seven. On the other hand, the Cardinals have gone 63-56 SU this year and are 61-57 ATS. In total, the club has lost 3.1 units for moneyline gamblers, but have gained 1.7 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven.
Cincinnati games have a 47-67-5 over/under record in 2019. Cardinals games have gone under 63 times, gone over 46 times and pushed on nine instances.
Right-hander Adam Wainwright is the probable starter for St. Louis. Wainwright is 8-8 with a 4.35 ERA and 118 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with eight strikeouts and an 8.68 ERA against Cincinnati this year (two starts).
The Reds are handing the ball to righty Luis Castillo (11-4, 2.69 ERA), who’s got 172 punchouts and 61 walks, along with a 1.11 WHIP. Castillo is 1-0 with 12 strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA across two starts against St. Louis this year.
As a unit, Cincinnati’s pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have a 3.96 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.50 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 9.7 K/9. In 57 games against NL Central opponents, Reds starters have an ERA of 3.80 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.18.
The Cincinnati offense is putting up 4.6 runs per outing, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .264/.326/.448 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Third baseman Eugenio Suarez and first baseman Joey Votto have led the Reds’ offense this year. Suarez is slashing .260/.343/.532 with 33 home runs, 76 RBIs and 66 runs scored, while Votto’s line is .262/.352/.410 with 12 homers, 39 RBIs and 60 runs.
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 4.16 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8.02 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.75, along with a K-per-9 of 9.86.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .242/.316/.403 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game this season, including 4.9 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong have paced St. Louis’ hitters. Goldschmidt is slashing .256/.332/.460 with 26 home runs, 63 RBIs and 71 runs scored, while DeJong (.248/.325/.450) has produced 20 homers, 54 RBIs and 76 runs scored.
The Cardinals have gained 1.4 units and are 51-43 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 35 of those games, compared to 53 that’ve gone under against righties. On the other hand, the Reds have lost 1.8 units and are 50-41 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 36 of those games, compared to 52 that’ve gone under.
Cardinals vs. Reds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Reds, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- St. Louis has logged 10 extra-base hits over its last five outings. Cincinnati has 17 XBH over its last five.
- The Cardinals have an OPS of .719 this season and an OPS of .717 against right-handed pitchers. The Reds’ OPS stands at .752 overall and .738 against righties.
- St. Louis has posted 16.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 19.0 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games, including four over their last five.
