The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds meet Monday in MLB game 1 action at Great American Ball Park. Here’s a Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction.
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
The St. Louis Cardinals have won 5 straight games, which includes sweeps of the Orioles and Cubs. The St. Louis Cardinals have scored 16 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 6 of their last 8 games. The St. Louis Cardinals have won 9 straight games when scoring 4 or more runs. Nolan Arenado leads the St. Louis Cardinals with 51 hits and 23 RBI, while Brendan Donovan and Masyn Winn have combined for 89 hits and 40 RBI.
Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview
The Cincinnati Reds are 23-30 on the year after wins over the Padres and Dodgers. The Cincinnati Reds have scored 16 runs in their last 3 games and 3 or fewer runs in 5 of their last 8 games. The Cincinnati Reds have lost 9 of their last 11 games when scoring 3 or fewer runs. Elly De La Cruz leads the Cincinnati Reds with 47 hits and 24 RBI, while Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario have combined for 77 hits and 54 RBI.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Pitching Matchup
Lance Lynn gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA and 48 strikeouts this season. Lynn has allowed 19 hits and 12 earned runs in his last 20.2 innings. Lynn has a 3.51 ERA and .270 allowed batting average in 25.2 road innings. Lynn is 12-4 with a 3.29 ERA and 114 strikeouts in his career against the Cincinnati Reds.
Nick Lodolo gets the ball for the Cincinnati Reds, and he is 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA and 43 strikeouts this season. Lodolo will pitch for the first time in 16 days after dealign with a groin injury. Lodolo has allowed 9 hits and 8 runs in his last 11 innings. Lodolo is 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA and 12 strikeouts in his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The Reds have lost 11 of their last 12 day games against National League opponents following a win.
- The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight games.
- The Reds have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight home games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in seven of their last eight Monday day games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
Cincinnati Reds Player Prop Facts
- Spencer Steer has recorded a Double in four of his last five appearances against NL Central opponents.
- Jeimer Candelario has recorded at least one hit in each of his last eight appearances in day games against teams that held a losing record.
- Jonathan India has recorded at least one Single in each of his last seven home appearances against the Cardinals after playing the previous day.
- Jonathan India has recorded at least one total base in each of his last eight home appearances against the Cardinals.
- TJ Friedl has hit a home run in each of his last four home appearances against NL Central opponents.
- Jonathan India has scored at least one run in each of his last five appearances in day games against NL Central teams that held a losing record.
- Nick Lodolo has recorded seven or more strikeouts in three of his last four appearances in day games against teams that held a losing record.
- Nick Lodolo has recorded a win in three of his last four appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
- Elly De La Cruz has recorded at least one RBI in each of the Reds’ last six games against NL Central opponents.
St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts
- Willson Contreras has hit a home run in each of his last two road appearances against the Reds.
- Lance Lynn has recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his last four road appearances against NL Central opponents.
- Lance Lynn has recorded a win in five of his last six appearances against the Reds.
- Lars Nootbaar has recorded at least one RBI in five of his last six appearances against NL opponents.
- Willson Contreras has scored at least one run in each of his last seven appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
- Willson Contreras has recorded a Double in four of his last five appearances in day games against NL teams that held a losing record.
- Nolan Arenado has recorded at least one hit in each of the Cardinals’ last 15 games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Alec Burleson has recorded at least one Single in each of the Cardinals’ last 10 games.
- Nolan Arenado has recorded at least one total base in each of the Cardinals’ last 15 games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cincinnati Reds rank 1st in the league for steals this season (84).
- The Cincinnati Reds rank T29th in the league for hits this season (373).
- The St. Louis Cardinals rank 29th in the league for runs scored this season (200).
- The St. Louis Cardinals rank 29th in the league for RBI’s this season (187).
Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
I don’t love backing the St. Louis Cardinals because they’re coming off a super late Sunday night game and now have a quick turnaround here. However, the Cardinals have been the better team this season overall, and the Reds in the favorite role isn’t ideal. Lance Lynn has had his moments this season and has owned the Reds throughout his career. Nick Lodolo hasn’t pitched in two weeks, so who knows what to expect. We could get a sluggish Cardinals team that’s coming off a late game, but the value is with the plus money given the layoff for Lodolo.
