Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.42 ERA) and Johnny Cueto (0-1, 0.64 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (5-3) and the Cincinnati Reds (5-4) at Busch Stadium. Action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 17 and can be seen on FSN-OH and FSN-MW.
Wacha is 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts against the Reds. Matt Carpenter (.364 ) had a good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. When pitching against the Cardinals, Cueto is 5-7 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts.
St. Louis is a -120 favorite against Cincinnati and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at six runs. The Cardinals have an overall money line of +18 and a record as the favorite of 2-2. St. Louis is one of the best in the NL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.4 per game. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play St. Louis. The Cardinals are one of the top teams when it comes to pitching, allowing just 2.9 runs per game. The Cardinals are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.00 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cardinals, who rank third in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.7.
In games where it is the underdog, Cincinnati has a 3-3 record and an overall money line of +144. They are 3-3 as the underdog against NL Central rivals, and 5-4 SU. The Reds are an excellent base stealing team with 12 stolen bases, ranking second in the MLB.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 2-1. The Cardinals have a 3-3 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Cueto takes the mound. Wacha (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 4-2 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals now have two shutouts this season. The Reds have been shut out in one game this season.
The Cardinals are 1-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Reds are 1-2 in such matchups.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Reds are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Cardinals have a 2-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
With records of 3-3 and 2-2 respectively, the Cardinals and the Reds both have mixed records when they record more hits than their opponents.
Ranking 22nd, St. Louis is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 30 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the bottom half at 19th with 33.
Both St. Louis and Cincinnati are tied at 15th in walks with a total of 26 this season.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 2-1, well-matched with the Reds who are 4-2 when hitting one or more homers.
