The Cincinnati Reds will face their divisional rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The action will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET and fans hoping to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Ohio.
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Vegas is listing St. Louis (-210) as the favorite over Cincinnati (+190). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at +105 for over 8 runs and -125 for under 8. You can also wager on the game’s spread with the most recent runline odds sitting at -115 for the Reds +1.5 runs and -105 for the Cardinals -1.5.
The Reds have gone only 3-16 SU this year and are 7-11 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 11.5 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 7.6 units ATS. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 11-8 SU and 10-8 ATS. They’ve gained 0.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.1 units ATS.
Cardinals games have a 9-9 over/under record so far in 2018. Cincinnati has an over/under record of 7-11.
Homer Bailey is getting the nod for the visiting Reds. The right-handed Bailey is 0-3 with a 3.42 ERA and 16 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with four strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA against St. Louis this year (two starts).
The Cardinals will put the ball in the right hand of Carlos Martinez (2-1, 1.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP), who’s got 30 punchouts and 14 walks this season. Martinez is 1-0 with 11 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA across one starts against Cincinnati this year.
Cincinnati’s pitching staff allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.79 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 7.16 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.79, along with a K-per-9 of 8.51.
The Reds offense has slashed .223/.301/.319 on its way to 2.9 runs scored per game in 2018, including 2.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Cincinnati’s offense has been led by catcher Tucker Barnhart and outfielder Jesse Winker. Barnhart is slashing .275/.383/.471 with 14 hits, four RBIs and five runs scored, while Winker is hitting .261 with 12 hits, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Winker seemed to enjoy hitting righties on the road in 2017. Over 58 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .358/.414/.679 (his overall season line was .298/.375/.529).
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff has given up 3.6 runs per game overall this season. Its starters have a 3.42 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.45 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 9.3 K/9. In 13 games against NL Central opponents, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 2.96 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.40.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.6 runs per contest, including 5.4 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .208/.337/.333 over its last five contests and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ hitters have been led by first baseman Jose Martinez and right fielder Tommy Pham. Martinez is slashing .358/.443/.567 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and seven runs scored, and Pham’s line sits at .318/.444/.455 with 21 hits, five RBIs, 18 runs and five stolen bases.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .309/.379/.518, Martinez didn’t do very well against righties in 2017, slashing .282/.346/.427 over 237 plate appearances.
The Reds have lost 10.7 units and are 5-10 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in five of those games, compared to 10 that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 0.3 units and are 7-6 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in seven of those games, compared to six that’ve gone under.
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Reds, O/U – UNDER
Notes
Betting Trends
The under has hit in four of St. Louis’ last seven games.
The Reds have lost 11 of their last 12 games SU while the Cardinals have won six of their last seven SU.
Cincinnati has posted 16.4 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 16.4 over its last five.
The Reds have hit four home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 12 over their last 10.
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