The Cincinnati Reds (56-86) and St. Louis Cardinals (84-59) open a 5-game series Friday. The contest at Busch Stadium is slated to begin at 7:45 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Reds vs. Cardinals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: St. Louis leads 9-5
Cincinnati is coming off a 4-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Reds were swept while scoring just 8 total runs. Overall, Cincy has lost 6 games in a row and its pitchers own a 5.54 ERA over that stretch.
The Cardinals have hit their way to an 8-game lead in the NL Central by going 12-5 since Aug. 27. St. Louis has a solid .761 OPS over that stretch.
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Reds at Cardinals projected starters
RHP Chase Anderson vs. RHP Miles Mikolas
Anderson (0-3, 9.00 ERA) has logged a 1.67 WHIP, 9.0 BB/9 and 11.0 K/9 through 9 IP across 4 games (3 starts).
- Has spent much of this season at Triple-A where he owns a 4.50 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 80 IP
- Owns a 4.25 ERA across 194 career MLB games
Mikolas (11-11, 3.42 ERA) is tabbed for his 30th start. He has a 1.04 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9 and 6.7 K/9 through 181 1/3 IP.
- Owns a 5.06 ERA over his last 7 starts
- Has registered a 2.23 ERA and 0.80 WHIP over his 13 starts at home in 2022
Reds at Cardinals odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Reds +225 (bet $100 to win $225) | Cardinals -290 (bet $290 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Reds +1.5 (+102) | Cardinals -1.5 (-125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -105 | U: -120)
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Reds at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 5, Reds 3
Money line
AVOID.
The sizable juice here is obscuring the true odds — and any profit potential — on both sides.
Run line/Against the spread
Both sides tend to play in fewer 1-run games than average. The last 8 games of the season series — which have included 5 Cardinals wins — have been games decided by multiple runs.
With this game being the lead edge of a series that includes a Saturday doubleheader, middle relief could be hung out to dry in the interest of avoiding late-series bullpen fatigue. That’s a St. Louis edge in this one.
BACK THE CARDINALS -1.5 (-125).
Over/Under
Both clubs have some real-versus-expected batting numbers and quality-of-contact stats that point to both offenses being a bit too far over their skis. However, Mikolas has some indicators that swing the other way — toward a higher total — and Anderson is a small-sample-size question mark.
PASS.
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