Johnny Cueto (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.20 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Cincinnati Reds (4-0) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1-2) at the Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the last game 5-4 and Cincinnati leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 11 and can be seen on FSN-MW and FSN-OH.
Cueto is 5-6 with a 4.19 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts against the Cardinals. Joey Votto (.412 ) had a good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs, two home runs, four RBIs, and one stolen base. Against the Reds, Wacha is 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts. Matt Holliday (.364 ) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
Cincinnati is a -136 favorite against St. Louis and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at six runs. With a record of 2-0 when playing as favorite and an overall money line of +310, the Reds have fared well so far this season. The Reds lead the MLB in home runs with six. Cincinnati leads the MLB in steals, swiping nine bases. Crossing over to the pitching staff, the Reds are the fifth-best team in the NL at limiting hits to their opponents, allowing only 7.0 hits per game so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Reds, who lead the NL in strikeouts per home game with 11.0.
In games where it is the underdog, St. Louis has a 1-1 record and an overall money line of -5. The Cardinals are an excellent base stealing team with four stolen bases, ranking fifth in the MLB. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cardinals are the best in the league with a WHIP of 0.72 for the season. The Cardinals have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 11.5 strikeouts per game.
The Reds have the edge in the season series, 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Cardinals lost by a margin of one run. The Reds are 3-0 in one-run games. The Cardinals have a 0-1 record in close games.
The Reds are 1-0 when they go into extra innings.
It looks like the Reds have a slight leg up on the Cardinals, as the Reds have won their last four games while the Cardinals have lost their last two.
Ranking first in home runs, Cincinnati has hit six this season. St. Louis ranks 23rd with one home run.
Ranking 11th, St. Louis is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 6.50 per game. Cincinnati ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 7.33.
Cincinnati and St. Louis both rank in the bottom half of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Cincinnati sits at 17th with an OPS of .634 and St. Louis ranks 18th with an OPS of .621.
When the Cardinals allow at least one home run, they are 0-1. When the Reds allow one or more homers, they have a 3-0 record.
