The St. Louis Cardinals will face off against their division rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. The game gets underway 1:10 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Midwest will be showing the matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Odds
St. Louis (-155) is coming into this one as the favorite against Cincinnati (+145) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 9 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds coming in at Cardinals -1.5 runs (-110) and Reds 1.5 runs (-110).
The Reds are only 2-12 SU and 5-8 ATS. The team’s lost 8.7 units for moneyline bettors and 5.0 units against the spread (ATS). Cincinnati has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Cardinals have gone 8-7 SU this year and are 8-6 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 1.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year, but have gained 0.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Reds games have an over/under record of 6-7 so far in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 7-7.
The Cardinals have lost 2.4 units and are 6-5 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in six of those games, compared to five that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Reds have lost 6.7 units and are 4-7 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in five of those games, compared to six that went under.
Carlos Martinez (1-1, 2.41 ERA) will get the nod for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Martinez recorded 217 strikeouts in 205 innings last year (32 starts) while finishing the season 12-11 overall with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He made three starts against Cincinnati in 2017 and compiled a 1-2 record against the Reds with a 6.62 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
The Reds will put the ball in the hands of righty Homer Bailey (0-2, 3.24 ERA), who started 18 games last year while finishing the season 6-9 overall with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. He recorded two starts against St. Louis a year ago and registered a 0-2 record with a 17.18 ERA and six strikeouts.
As a unit, Cincinnati’s pitchers have given up 6.4 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.93, a WHIP of 1.43 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.8. The bullpen has a 6.19 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. In eight games against divisional opponents, Reds starters have an ERA of 6.86 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.76.
The Cincinnati hitters are putting up 3.0 runs per outing, including 2.6 per game against divisional foes and 2.4 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .203/.263/.262 over its last five games and is 0-5 SU during that span.
The Reds’ offense has been led by third baseman Eugenio Suarez and catcher Tucker Barnhart. Suarez is slashing .296/.424/.630 with eight hits, seven RBIs and five runs scored, while Barnhart’s line is .265/.390/.500 with nine hits, three RBIs and four runs.
Suarez performed well against right-handed pitchers at home last season. Across 229 such plate appearances, he slashed .279/.380/.604 (his overall season line was .260/.367/.461).
For the visitors, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 3.6 runs per game and its starters own a 3.59 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 8.23 K/9. The bullpen has managed a solid ERA of just 3.04, along with a K-per-9 of 9.66.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .249/.329/.417 on their way to 4.7 runs scored per game this season, including 5.9 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
First baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Tommy Pham have led St. Louis’ offense. Martinez is slashing .373/.459/.608 with 19 hits, 15 RBIs and four runs scored, while Pham is slashing .327/.439/.491 with 18 hits, two homers, five RBIs, 15 runs and five stolen bases.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .309/.379/.518, Martinez did not perform especially well against righties on the road last year, maintaining a slash line of .257/.333/.371 across 117 such plate appearances.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Notes
The Reds have lost nine of their last 10 games SU.
St. Louis has posted 21.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 25.8 over its last five.
The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
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