Carlos Martinez (0-0, 2.57 ERA) and Homer Bailey (9-5, 3.71 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (6-3) and the Cincinnati Reds (5-5) at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 6-1 and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 18 and can be seen on FSN-OH and FSN-MW.
Martinez is 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts against the Reds. Matt Carpenter (.378 ) kept up his hot start yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs. Against the Cardinals, Bailey is 6-10 with a 4.98 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts. Joey Votto (.378, 7 Rs, 4 HRs, 10 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate to the start the season for the Reds, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
St. Louis is a -124 favorite against Cincinnati and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Cardinals have an overall money line of +118 and a record as the favorite of 3-2. St. Louis’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 5.0 per game. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cardinals, who have a team ERA of only 2.13. The Cardinals are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 0.99 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cardinals, who rank third in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.9.
In games where it is the underdog, Cincinnati has a 3-3 record and an overall money line of +144. They are 3-3 as the underdog against NL Central rivals, and 5-4 SU. The Reds are an excellent base stealing team with 12 stolen bases, ranking second in the MLB.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 3-1. The Cardinals have a 4-3 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Bailey takes the mound. Martinez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 4-2 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
St. Louis recorded at least two errors for the second time this season.
When the Cardinals play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The Reds are 1-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Reds are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Cardinals have a 4-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Reds are 2-3. The Cardinals have a 1-0 record when opponents outhit them.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 28th when it comes to home runs, hitting four this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 12th with 10.
Ranking ninth, Cincinnati is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 7.44 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.88.
Ranking 25th, Cincinnati is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.619). St. Louis ranks in the top half at 14th with an OPS of .687.
The Reds are 4-4 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Cardinals are 3-1 when they allow at least one homer.
