The St. Louis Cardinals are trying to avoid dropping their fourth in a row as they play host to the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Fox Sports Midwest will showcase the matchup and the game will get going at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Cincinnati (+150) is entering this game as the underdog against St. Louis (-160) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this afternoon’s game at 9 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the games runline with the odds sitting at Reds +1.5 runs (-145) and Cardinals -1.5 runs (+125).
The Reds are 43-52 SU and are 57-37 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 1.3 units for moneyline gamblers, despite having gained 9.8 units ATS. Cincinnati’s covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the over has hit in six of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 47-46 SU and 45-47 ATS. The team has lost 8.8 units for moneyline bettors and 5.7 units ATS. St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven outings and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have an over/under record of 40-48-4 so far in 2018. Cincinnati has been a decent over bet with a total record of 49-41-4.
Anthony DeSclafani will get the start for the visiting Reds. The right-handed DeSclafani is 4-1 with a 4.43 ERA and 32 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with six strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA against St. Louis this year.
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the right hand of Miles Mikolas (10-3, 2.65 ERA, 1.01 WHIP), who’s got 81 strikeouts and 18 walks this season. Mikolas is 2-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA over two starts against Cincinnati this year.
St. Louis pitchers have given up 4.3 runs per game overall this year as a unit. The teams starters have an ERA of 3.44, a WHIP of 1.23 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.1. The bullpen has a 4.52 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.5 K/9. In 43 games against NL Central foes, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.40 and the bullpens ERA is 4.55.
St. Louis offense is putting up 4.4 runs per outing, including 4.5 per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over its last five. The team has hit .251/.325/.377 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that span.
The Cardinals batters have been led by first baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Marcell Ozuna. Martinez is slashing .297/.364/.478 with 13 home runs, 55 RBIs and 35 runs scored, while Ozuna is hitting .268 with 10 homers, 49 RBIs and 37 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Cincinnati’s pitching staff allowed 5.1 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.07 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 7.33 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.21, along with a WHIP of 1.43.
The Reds offense has slashed .260/.343/.407 on its way to 4.8 runs scored per game this season, including 4.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 7.0 per game over the teams last five outings (4-1 SU).
Cincinnati’s hitters have been paced by second baseman Scooter Gennett and shortstop Jose Peraza. Gennett is hitting .328/.375/.526 with 16 home runs, 62 RBIs and 59 runs scored, while Peraza is slashing .288/.333/.387 with five homers, 34 RBIs, 52 runs and 17 steals.
The Reds have lost 5.5 units and are 41-28 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 33 of those games, as opposed to 33 that’ve gone under against righties. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 3.4 units and are 34-34 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 27 of those games, as opposed to 37 that’ve gone under.
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Reds, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- Cincinnati has tallied 21 extra-base hits over its last five contests. St. Louis has 12 XBH over its last five.
- The Reds have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 10 over their last 10.
- St. Louis has averaged 23.9 runs + hits + errors over its last 10 contests and 22.6 over its last five.
- The Reds have won four of their last five games SU while the Cardinals have dropped four of their last five.
