St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Preview
Thursday’s Reds vs. Cardinals matchup features Jakob Junis for Cincinnati and Sonny Gray for the Cardinals. The forecast for today’s game in St. Louis calls for cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. First pitch from Busch Stadium is set for 1:15 PM ET.
The money line odds have the Cardinals at -179 compared to the Reds at +150. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs, and the game will be televised on BSOH. In the NL Central, the Reds are 4th at 71-76, while the Cardinals are 3rd at 73-72.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Trends and Key Stats
- The Reds are 3-2 across their last five road games. They have gone 4-1 vs. the runline.
- In the Cardinals’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 4-1 (SU) with 3-2 against the spread.
- The Cardinals have a straight-up record of 4-6 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 1-9 record vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Reds have a 7-3 straight-up record and a 8-2 record vs. the runline.
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cardinals vs Reds series. St. Louis went into the matchup as -150 favorites and squeaked out a 2-1 win. Heading into the game, the Cardinals had lost three straight.
Cincinnati had a chance to tie or take the lead in the 8th inning, but Ryan Helsley closed things out for the Cardinals. Lance Lynn got the win for St. Louis, going five innings and giving up just one run. Brandon Williamson only went five innings for the Reds but gave up just one run as well.
Nolan Arenado was the difference for the Cardinals, as he homered twice and scored both of their runs. Paul Goldschmidt also had a two-hit game for St. Louis. As for the Reds, their only run came in the 4th inning.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction
Cincinnati is 71-76 overall and trails the Brewers by 13 games in the NL Central. Currently, they are 4th in the division and have gone 21-24 against other teams in the division. The Reds are on the road today, and they are 35-37 on the road compared to 36-39 at home.
The Reds have been playing well lately, going 7-3 over their last 10 games. As the underdog, Cincinnati is 38-43 this year and 33-33 as the favorite. So far, their overall series record is 18-26-2, and they are tied in their current series vs. the Cardinals.
The Reds are 45-27 against the run line on the road this season, and they have covered in four straight games. They are 53-28 against the run line as an underdog this season, compared to 27-39 as the favorite. Their average run differential on the road is +0.6 runs per game.
The Cincinnati Reds are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Reds games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 67-73. The average over/under line for Reds games this season is 9 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 9-10. So far this season, 83.0% of Reds games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 5 games.
Jakob Junis is looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t allow a run in five innings of work vs. the Mets. In that outing, he gave up just one hit and issued one walk. Junis finished with five strikeouts in the outing. Overall, he has made 21 appearances and six homers. Opposing batters are hitting .211 this season vs. Junis. The right-hander’s ERA for the season is 2.82, and his WHIP is .92. Junis’ record for the season is 4-0, and he has a 3.74 ERA on the road compared to 2.77 at home.
Elly De La Cruz comes into the game as the Reds’ leading home run hitter, but he has struggled of late, batting just .120 over his last seven games. Overall, he is batting .259 and is 2nd on the team with 65 RBIs. Spencer Steer has 86 RBIs this season, which is 15th in the league, but is batting just .231 for the year.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. They are also 11th in home runs this season. Overall, they are batting just .232 and are one of the league’s worst teams in terms of striking out. The Reds have a few players on short hitting streaks, with Jake Fraley leading the way at five games.
St. Louis is currently 73-72 overall, and they are 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Overall, they are 22-25 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cardinals will host the Reds today, and they are 38-35 at home this year.
The Cardinals have won three straight series on the road, and their overall series record is 23-19-4 this year. As the favorite, the Cardinals are 34-35 this year and 39-37 as the underdog. St. Louis is 6-4 across their last ten games and are the 3rd seed in the NL Wild Card race.
The Cardinals have been a tough team to bet on this season, as they have a run line record of 71-74. They have been better on the road, where they are 36-36 against the run line compared to 35-38 at home. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 49-27 against the run line, compared to just 22-47 as the favorite.
The St. Louis Cardinals are playing at home against the Cincinnati Reds today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Cardinals games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 69-72. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 11-21. The over has hit in 73.8% of their games this season, and their current under streak is at 2 games.
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and comes in with a record of 12-9 and an ERA of 3.84. Looking at his overall numbers, Gray has made 26 starts, and opponents are batting .216 this season. In his 26 appearances, Gray has turned in 12 quality starts and is averaging 10.82 strikeouts per nine innings. Gray most recently faced the Brewers, where he finished with a no-decision, going seven innings and giving up one earned run. Before that outing, he had lost two straight starts.
Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are 24th in the league in scoring, averaging just 4.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 10th in the league. However, their on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS are all just around league average. St. Louis has also struggled in the power department, as they are just 20th in home runs this season.
Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Burleson are tied for the team lead in homers, with 21, and Burleson also leads the team with 73 RBIs. Goldschmidt is also on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .248 for the season. Over his last six games, Nolan Arenado is 6/19 with a home run.
We see the Reds pulling out a close win over the Cardinals with a predicted score of 6-5. With the Reds being the underdog, you can get them at +150 on the money line, which is our recommended bet.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Sonny Gray finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Jakob Junis with seven. However, Junis has a higher strikeout projection and is a good option in DFS.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Betting Tips
- We like the Reds on the moneyline (+150)
- The Reds are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Willson Contreras | Out | Finger |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
Cincinnati Reds Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Jeimer Candelario | Out | Toe |
| Sam Moll | Out | Shoulder |
| Nick Lodolo | Out | Finger |
| Austin Wynns | Out | Teres Major |
| Nick Martini | Out | Thumb |
| Stuart Fairchild | Out | Thumb |
| Hunter Greene | Out | Elbow |
| Ian Gibaut | Out | Forearm |
| Matt McLain | Out | Shoulder |
| Graham Ashcraft | Out | Elbow |
| Tejay Antone | Out | Elbow |
| Christian Roa | Out | Shoulder |
| Andrew Abbott | Out | Shoulder |
| Christian Encarnacion-Strand | Out | Wrist |
