Cardinals vs Reds Odds
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+1.5 -184 | 10 -112 / -108 | +102 |
| Reds Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-1.5 +152 | 10 -112 / -108 | -120 |
We are in the home stretch. There is less than a month left in the regular season, and for some teams, the pressure is beginning to mount as time dwindles away.
One of those teams is the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have come out of nowhere and been sparked by a wave of young talent that pushed them all the way to the top of the division at one point. However, the ebbs and flows of their roster have caused them to slide out of the playoff picture.
However, they enter tonight's matchup just a half-game out of the third wild-card spot, so every game from here on out carries weight. As for tonight's matchup, the Reds will host the St. Louis Cardinals, who have found some life at the plate lately.
Can the Cardinals play spoiler? Or will the Reds march forward in their playoff pursuit?
Let's take a closer look to find out.
St. Louis Cardinals
Statistically, we should have seen the Cardinals' offensive surge coming, as despite their struggles, they have remained an elite lineup in terms of contact metrics. They are top 10 in barrel rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity, with a ton of legit talent providing that thunder.
While their struggles recently can be easily rooted to the mound, this line will have a tall task in front of them tonight in the form of Andrew Abbott. Abbott blew through two minor-league levels this season and has not slowed down in the majors.
The 24-year-old lefty has become the quintessential ace of the Reds staff. He's earned it by posting a 3.22 ERA through 17 starts while striking out nearly 27 percent of the batters he's faced.
Abbott has already shown the Cardinals how good he is, as in his second start he tossed five shutout innings against them. However, the only caveat about Abbott is that he does allow a great deal of hard contact, and his home park will not be doing him any favors tonight.
So while the Cardinals do have the edge to make hard contact against Abbott, it remains to be seen just how many times they can actually put the ball in play.
Cincinnati Reds
As for the Reds, they are nearly the complete opposite from an offensive standpoint. Cincinnati ranks in the bottom 10 of the league in barrel rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. The differentiator in this game is the matchup the Reds have tonight.
Cincy will get to face another rookie left-hander in Drew Rom. However, while his counterpart in this matchup has had plenty of success at the big-league level, Rom cannot say the same.
Through his first three career starts, Rom has surrendered 11 earned runs in just 13 2/3 innings. His arsenal that features two upper-80s fastballs has not played well, and the level of hard contact he has allowed is not a recipe for success in Great American Ball Park.
Cardinals vs Reds
Betting Pick
Even in a matchup where each side has a clear edge, it's all going to come down to the men on the mound. Rom has not given us any reasons to back him, and the Cardinals' bullpen may not be much help as they are 23rd in bullpen ERA.
Look for the Reds to provide continuous run support for Abbott and the rest of the staff on their way to victory tonight.
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