With the MLB stretch run heating up, the NL Wild Card race looks like it will come down to the wire. The field is tight, with only a few teams still in realistic striking distance — and the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals are two with an outside shot at making a playoff push.
The Reds enter as -137 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs.
Let’s break down a quick preview, prediction, and best bet for this Reds vs. Cardinals matchup.
Reds vs. Cardinals prediction, preview
Following Saturday’s action, both the Reds and Cardinals remain within six games of the final Wild Card spot. Needless to say, this series is critical for both teams. Before Saturday’s game, the Reds had postseason odds of approximately 7%, per Baseball Reference, while the Cardinals sat just above 1%.
Unfortunately for St. Louis, starter Andre Pallante is in the midst of a brutal stretch. He’s taken the loss in five straight starts — and the last four have been fully earned. Over his previous four outings, Pallante owns an 11.65 ERA, struggling to miss bats, issuing free passes, and giving up the long ball. With the Cardinals’ season hanging by a thread, the timing couldn’t be worse.
On the other side, Reds starter Brady Singer is trending in the opposite direction. In his last six starts, Singer has allowed one or fewer earned runs in five of them, pitching six or more innings each time. Cincinnati won all five of those outings. While this may seem like an even pitching matchup on paper, recent form makes it anything but.
Both teams feature solid bullpens and average offenses, but the clear edge lies on the mound — and that’s enough to tilt the balance toward Cincinnati.
