At 6:40 PM ET, the Reds and Cardinals will square off in an NL Central matchup. This one is taking place at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and the Reds are looking to extend their three-game winning streak. However, they are the slight money line underdog (-106).
As for the Cardinals, they have lost three straight and are 60-60 this season. Kyle Gibson will start for the Cardinals, while the Reds are sending Emilio Pagan to the mound. St. Louis is favored on the money line (-113), and the over/under line is sitting at 9.5 runs. BSOH is carrying this game on TV.
St. Louis vs. Cincinnati Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Cardinals at Reds
- Where: Great American Ball Park Cincinnati
- Date: Wednesday, August 14th
- Betting Odds STL -113 | CIN -106 O/U 9.5
Cardinals vs Reds Last Game Recap
Cincinnati picked up a 4-1 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Reds had a two-run 6th inning, and the Cardinals scored their only run in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Reds were favored at -131 on the money line.
Hunter Greene started for the Reds and picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued five walks. As for the Cardinals, Erick Fedde got the start and took the loss, giving up four earned runs in six innings of work.
At the plate, the Reds were led by Jeimer Candelario and Ty France, as they were the only two Cincinnati hitters to have more than one hit. Candelario, TJ Friedl, and Kyle Farmer each had two RBIs for the Reds' offense.
Cardinals Preview
St. Louis is 7.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, with an even 60-60 record. They have dropped three straight games and are down 0-2 in the series vs. the Reds. Against the run line, they are 58-62 this season and have a 30-32 record on the road.
When the over/under line is set at 9.5 runs, the Cardinals' O/U record is 2-4. Their over/under record for the season is 58-59, with games averaging 8.7 runs. The under has hit in their last two games, and the O/U line of 9.5 runs has only been set twice this season, accounting for 1.7% of their games.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Reds on the road. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 7-4 with a 3.99 ERA. Gibson's WHIP for the season is currently 1.32. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work. Looking back further, he has finished with a no-decision in three straight outings. Gibson has allowed a total of three home runs in his last four outings. Opponents are batting .246 off Gibson this season.
Heading into today's game, the Cardinals are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. At home, they have been a little better at 4.3 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .245, and their team on-base percentage of .309 is 12th in the league. One area they have struggled is with their team slugging percentage, as they are just 18th in the league in this category.
St. Louis has two of the league's top home run hitters in Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman, but Gorman is batting just .204 for the season. Burleson's 67 RBIs are the best mark on the team, and he also has 20 home runs. Nolan Arenado has been hot of late, going 11/34 in his last nine games with a homer and five RBIs.
Reds Preview
Heading into today's game, the Reds have a 59-61 record and are on a three-game winning streak. They are 2-0 in their current series vs. the Cardinals and have an overall series record of 14-20-3. Cincinnati's games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 54-62.
As the underdog, the Reds are 28-35 straight up and 37-22 against the run line on the road. Their run line record is 65-55 overall, and they have a +0.4 run differential per game. Cincinnati's overall home record is 30-31, while they are 29-30 on the road.
Right-hander Emilio Pagán is getting the start for the Reds today as he faces the Cardinals. He has made 23 appearances out of the bullpen this season and has a record of 2-3 with a 4.22 ERA. Opponents are batting .247 off Pagán this season, and his WHIP is 1.36. In his 23 appearances, he has allowed a total of four home runs. Looking back at his last outing, Pagán went one inning out of the bullpen and didn't give up a run. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Pagán has come away with a no-decision in each of his last three outings.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game. Overall, they are 9th in the league in home runs, but the team's collective batting average of .230 is just 21st in the league. One thing that has helped their offense is their isolated power number of .169, which is 8th best in the league.
Elly De La Cruz has been a bright spot for the Reds this season, as his 21 homers is 15th best in the league, and he is batting .264 with a team-high 51 RBIs. Over his last six games, Spencer Steer has three homers while going 9/19 (.474).
Cardinals vs. Reds Prediction: Reds ML -106
We see the Reds coming away with a 6-5 win in this one, and with them sitting at -106 on the money line, that is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Kyle Gibson is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which has him in the middle of the pack among starters. As for his opponent, the Cardinals are projected to finish with eight strikeouts, which has them in the top 10 in the league.
Looking at the Cardinals' offense, they are projected to finish with nine hits, which has them in the middle of the league. As for the Reds, they are projected to finish with eight hits, which has them near the bottom of the league.
