In the last of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (7-3) and the Cincinnati Reds (7-3) at Busch Stadium, Adam Wainwright (1-1, 2.08 ERA) and Mike Leake (0-0, 4.97 ERA) get the start. The Cardinals won the last game 5-2 and St. Louis leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 8:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 19 and will air on ESPN.
Wainwright has a 4.40 ERA and a 7-9 record in his career against the Reds, and faces a struggling Cincinnati offense that’s hitting just .218 on the year. Matt Carpenter (.381, 9 Rs, 1 HR, 9 RBIs) continued his strong start to the season yesterday, going 2 for 5 with two RBIs. In his career against the Cardinals, Leake is 4-6 with a 5.00 ERA. He gets a strong St. Louis offense that’s batting .260. Zack Cozart (.368, 4 Rs, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) has been doing well to start the season, going 3 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
St. Louis, a -179 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Cincinnati. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Cardinals have a 4-2 record and overall money line at +218. They have performed well against their division to earn an SU record of 6-3 and a 4-2 record when they were the favorite. The Cardinals come into the game with the NL’s fourth-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 4.5 runs per game in their own ballpark. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an NL-low 2.00 team ERA. The Cardinals don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking third in the league with a 1.02 WHIP. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.7 strikeouts per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Reds come into this game with a win percentage of .429 when playing as the underdog (3-4) and an overall money line of +44. Against fellow NL Central members, they are 5-5 SU and 3-4 as the underdog. The Reds have racked up 12 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league.
The Cardinals are 4-1 against the Reds this season. This game will feature Leake (RHP) on the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 5-3 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Reds will be the right-hander Wainwright. They sport a 4-3 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 3-2, while Cincinnati is 1-2.
The Cardinals are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded five strikeouts. The Reds have a record of 1-1 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Reds, as the Cardinals have won their last four games while the Reds have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 2-2. The Cardinals have a 5-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st, Cincinnati sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 36 this season. St. Louis ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 41.
Both St. Louis and Cincinnati are tied at 16th in walks with a total of 31 this season.
The Cardinals are 3-1 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Reds are 4-4 when they hit at least one homer.
