The Cincinnati Reds will be facing off against their divisional rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Fox Sports Ohio will televise the matchup and the game is slated to get underway at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed St. Louis (-145) as the favorite over Cincinnati (+135). Gamblers can bet on the game’s total with odds sitting at even money (+100) for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds sitting at Reds +1.5 runs (-160) and Cardinals +-1.5 runs (+140).
The Cardinals are 12-8 SU and 11-8 ATS. They’ve gained 1.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 1.1 units against the spread (ATS). St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Reds, on the other hand, have gone 3-17 SU this year and are 7-12 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 12.5 units for moneyline bettors in this young season and 8.8 units ATS. Cincinnati has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the total has gone under in six of those seven.
St. Louis games have a 9-10 over/under record so far in 2018. Cincinnati has an over/under record of 7-12.
Right-hander Luis Castillo is the probable starter for Cincinnati. Castillo is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA and 21 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 4.26 ERA and four strikeouts across six and one-third innings).
The Cardinals are handing the ball to righty Miles Mikolas (2-0, 4.26 ERA), who has 14 strikeouts and two walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.11. Mikolas is 1-0 with four strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA against Cincinnati this year.
Cincinnati’s pitchers have allowed 5.4 runs per game and its starters own a 5.73 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.12 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.76, along with a WHIP of 1.47.
The Reds offense has slashed .224/.307/.316 on its way to 3.0 runs scored per game this year, including 2.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Outfielder Jesse Winker and catcher Tucker Barnhart have led Cincinnati’s offense. Winker is slashing .286/.444/.306 with 14 hits, four RBIs and four runs scored, while Barnhart has a .255 average with 14 hits, two homers, four RBIs and five runs scored.
Putting up a slash line of .358/.414/.679 across 58 plate appearances, Winker enjoyed batting against right-handed pitchers on the road in 2017 (compared to his overall season line of .298/.375/.529).
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have given up 3.6 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.24, a WHIP of 1.28 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.4. The bullpen has a 3.70 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 8.9 K/9. In 14 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 2.75 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.80.
The St. Louis hitters are putting up 4.6 runs per outing, including 5.3 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .209/.324/.348 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ batters have been led by first baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Tommy Pham. Martinez is hitting .338/.422/.535 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and seven runs scored, while Pham’s line sits at .318/.444/.455 with 21 hits, five RBIs, 18 runs and five steals.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .309/.379/.518, Martinez didn’t perform very well against righties last year, slashing .282/.346/.427 over 237 plate appearances.
The Reds have lost 11.7 units and are 5-11 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in five of those games, compared to 11 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 0.3 units and are 7-6 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in seven of those games, compared to six which went under the total.
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Reds, O/U – UNDER
Notes
Betting Trends
The Reds have lost 12 of their last 13 games SU while the Cardinals have won seven of their last eight SU.
St. Louis has posted 21.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 17.4 over its last five.
The Reds have hit four home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 15 over their last 10.
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