The Cincinnati Reds are set to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in Game 2 of a NL Central doubleheader. The matchup will begin at 7:05 p.m. ET and Fox Sports Ohio will broadcast the game.
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (receiving +110 odds) is entering into this matchup as an underdog against Cincinnati and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total currently stand at -105 for the under and -115 for the over. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds sitting at +125 for the Reds -1.5 runs and -145 for the Cardinals +1.5.
The Reds have gone 63-72 SU this year and are 74-59 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.8 units for gamblers taking the moneyline, despite having gained 6.5 units ATS. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 75-59 SU and 70-62 ATS. The team has gained 3.0 units for moneyline bettors and 5.8 units ATS.
St. Louis games have had an over/under record of 52-70-10 in 2019. Cincinnati has also been a great under bet with a total record of 52-75-6.
Luis Castillo will get the nod for the visiting Reds. The right-handed Castillo (13-5, 3.21 ERA) has recorded 190 strikeouts in 159 innings so far. He’s 1-1 with 15 strikeouts and a 5.51 ERA against St. Louis this year (three starts).
The Cardinals are handing the ball to righty Daniel Ponce de Leon (1-1, 3.76 ERA), who has 44 strikeouts and 21 walks, along with a 1.23 WHIP. Ponce de Leon has yet to face the Reds this year, but he made two starts against them in 2018, compiling a 0-1 record with a 2.61 ERA and seven strikeouts.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitchers have given up 4.1 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starters have a 4.08 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.66 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 9.8 K/9. In 61 games against NL Central opponents, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 4.25 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.01.
The St. Louis hitters have produced 4.7 runs per contest, including 5.1 per game against divisional foes and 6.4 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .289/.369/.491 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Cardinals’ offense has been led by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong. Goldschmidt is hitting .258/.333/.462 with 29 home runs, 73 RBIs and 82 runs scored, and DeJong’s line sits at .245/.329/.455 with 24 homers, 65 RBIs and 86 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Cincinnati’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 9.74 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.51, along with a K-per-9 of 9.83.
The Reds offense has slashed .248/.318/.429 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2019, including 4.8 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Cincinnati’s hitters have been paced by third baseman Eugenio Suarez and shortstop Jose Iglesias. Suarez is slashing .260/.340/.543 with 39 home runs, 85 RBIs and 76 runs scored, while Iglesias (.294/.323/.414) is up to nine homers, 49 RBIs and 55 runs scored.
The Reds have lost 4.1 units and are 55-47 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 40 of those games, as opposed to 58 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 4.3 units and are 58-47 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 39 of those games, compared to 60 that’ve gone under.
Reds at Cardinals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in four of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Reds have a total OPS of .748 this season and an OPS of .735 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS sits at .736 overall and .734 against righties.
- The Cardinals have won eight of their last nine games SU.
- Cincinnati has recorded 20.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 18.8 over its last five.
- The Reds have hit 17 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
