Jaime Garcia (8-4, 1.89 ERA) takes the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals (88-51) as they meet John Lamb (0-3, 6.11 ERA) and the Cincinnati Reds (57-81) in the first of a four-game series at the Great American Ball Park. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sep. 10 and will air on FSOH and FSMW.
In his last start, Lamb pitched 5.2 innings, giving up six runs, striking out four and walking two in an 8-6 loss to the Brewers. Joey Votto (.316, 86 Rs, 27 HRs, 70 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. The Cardinals were victorious over the Pirates 4-1 the last time Garcia pitched. He went 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out nine and walking one. Matt Carpenter (.260, 83 Rs, 21 HRs, 72 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs and one RBI.
Cincinnati is a +145 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Reds perform poorly as an underdog with a 28-55 record and have an overall money line of -2,146. They have an SU record of 27-32 against teams in their division and a 19-24 record when they were the underdog in those games. The most recent 10-game stretch for the Reds has gone great. Over that span, Cincinnati is averaging 5.8 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.0. The Reds are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with an MLB-high 120 steals. Turning to the pitching staff, an area where the Reds are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 8.3 K’s per home game.
On the other side, the Cardinals have a nice record of 74-33 when they are favored and are +2,526 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 33-22 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 27-14 record. The Cardinals rank fifth in the NL in road scoring, averaging four runs per game. The Cardinals average 3.1 walks per game, making them one of the most disciplined teams in the NL. The Cardinals are a problem for opposing batters, sporting an NL-low 2.79 ERA this season.
The Cardinals have mostly come out on top against the Reds in their previous 12 games this season, earning an 8-4 record. This game will feature Garcia (LHP) on the mound against the Reds, who have a 13-20 record when they take on a left-handed starter. The left-handed Lamb will take the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 19-16 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Cardinals won by a margin of one run. The Reds are 17-28 in one-run games. The Cardinals have a 29-21 record in close games.
The Reds are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Cardinals have a record of 26-10 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Reds are 9-59. The Cardinals have a 23-35 record when opponents outhit them.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 25th when it comes to home runs, hitting 114 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 11th with 145.
Cincinnati and St. Louis both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Cincinnati sits at ninth with 8.60 hits per game and St. Louis ranks sixth with 8.66.
Ranking 21st, Cincinnati is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.713). St. Louis ranks in the bottom half at 19th with an OPS of .715.
The Cardinals are 35-35 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Reds are 26-64 when they allow at least one homer.
