Cardinals vs. Reds Saturday Prediction
After blowing a late lead only to win in extra innings, the St. Louis Cardinals will put their perfect record this season on the line against the Cincinnati Reds today at 4:10 p.m. ET. Will the Cards prevail again on Saturday?
Game Snapshot & Odds
907 St. Louis Cardinals (-108) at 908 Cincinnati Reds (-102); 8.5 runs
Saturday, June 9, 2018
4:10 p.m. ET, Great American Ball Park
TV: STL (FSMW); CIN (FSO)
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Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Cardinals as a -108 favorite. As of this writing, 78% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Cardinals to beat the Reds on the moneyline. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Cardinals’ Wacha nearly no-hits Pirates in last start
Michael Wacha carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning Sunday as the Cardinals blanked the Pirates 5-0. Colin Moran led off in the top of the ninth and spoiled Wacha’s shot at history with a soft liner to right field. Jordan Hicks then entered the game and secured the final three outs. Wacha was terrific, touching 97 mph with his fastball and dropping in a number of devastating changeups to fool Pirates hitter after Pirates hitter. He issued two walks but struck out eight. The 26-year-old right-hander is now 7-1 on the season with a 2.41 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 61/27 K/BB ratio in 71 innings. After battling shoulder issues for a couple of years, he’s looking more and more like the guy who won the NLCS MVP back in 2013 at age 22. He’ll face the Reds on the road next time out.
Reds’ Castillo shaky vs. Padres in San Diego
Luis Castillo allowed four earned runs, six hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in a loss Sunday in San Diego. Castillo has been a disaster on the road this season, going 2-4 with a 6.64 ERA across 39 1/3 innings in eight starts. He has been a little better at Great American Ball Park, posting a 2-2 mark with a 4.23 ERA in five outings. He’ll be back in his home stadium on Friday night when Michael Wacha and the Cardinals come calling.
MLB Betting Trends
St. Louis
The Cardinals have won four of five against the rest of the National League Central and are 16-5 in their last 21 games against the Reds.
Cincinnati
The Reds are just 10-28 in their last 38 home games and are 24-52 in their last 76 games overall.
Prediction:
This feels like a trap game with the Cardinals only -108 on the money line but I’m going to take the bait because Wacha has been sensational this year (even if some of his advanced metrics point to a massive regression). The Cardinals are 10-1 in their last 11 road games versus the Reds, are 10-1 in Wacha’s last 11 games at Great American Ball Park, and are 5-0 in his last five road starts versus Cincinnati, too. If the Cards’ bullpen doesn’t blow this one for them, I see St. Louis staying unbeaten versus Cincinnati after today.
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -108