Only eight teams will play in the MLB on Thursday, September 15, including two divisional foes in St. Louis, so make sure you read the best Reds vs. Cardinals betting pick and odds.

Cincinnati and St. Louis will play the first of a five-game series at Busch Stadium and the Cardinals are massive -270 moneyline favorites on BetDSI Sportsbook, while the total is set at 8.5 runs. These National League Central foes have met 14 times this season, and the Cards lead 9-5.

Reds swept away by the Pirates

The Cincinnati Reds lost all four games of the home series to the Pittsburgh Pirates and now are in jeopardy of finishing the season behind Pittsburgh in the NL standings. Cincy scored just eight runs in those four defeats and now is expected to lose the series against the St. Louis Cardinals on the road.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in Game 4 against Pittsburgh, but that was the only time they were up as the Pirates quickly took control and deservedly secured a 10-4 victory. Kyle Farmer and Austin Romine hit a solo home run apiece, while two of them were the only Reds with a multi-hit game. Nick Lodolo dropped to a 4-6 record after surrendering three runs on six hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks over 6.1 innings.

Chase Anderson (0-3) will start for the 4th time this year when he takes on the Cardinals on Thursday. The 34-year-old right-hander has a bloated 9.00 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and 11/9 K/BB ratio in 9.0 innings.

Cardinals were good for only two innings in a loss to the Brewers

The St. Louis Cardinals took an 8-4 home loss to the divisional rivals Milwaukee Brewers in the opening of a two-game home series. St. Louis had a 4-4 result after the first two innings, but Milwaukee didn’t allow a single run for the remainder of the tilt and got away with a W. The Cards are still seven wins ahead of the Brew Crew atop the NL Central.

Nolan Arenado contributed with a pair of RBIs, while Tommy Edman was the only cardinal with a multi-hit display. Jordan Montgomery (8-4) experienced his worst start in St. Louis uniform since he joined from the Yankees as he allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings.

Miles Mikolas (11-11) is looking to return above .500 when he faces the Reds in his 30th start of the year. The 34-year-old right-hander owns a solid 3.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 135/33 K/BB ratio across 181.1 innings of work.

Trends:

Cincinnati:

  • 0-5 in the last five overall
  • 0-5 in the last five vs. National League Central rivals
  • 0-5 in the last five games vs. a right-handed starter

St. Louis:

  • 22-6 in the last 28 home games with the total set at 7.0-8.5
  • 16-6 in the last 22 home games vs. a right-handed starter

Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Pick

Miles Mikolas didn’t have the best of times against the Reds this year. In three starts, he has a 1-1 record with a terrible 6.06 ERA over 16.1 innings. Chase Anderson, luckily for the Cards, is even worse when facing St. Louis this season. He has a 0-2 record with an unreal 27.00 ERA in just 2.1 innings. I am backing the Cards to torture him once again because the Cards cannot afford to lose to the weakest team in the division, even though they are lonely at the top of the NL Central.

Pick: Take the Cardinals at -1.5 Run Line (-115)

The Total

Mikolas’ numbers started to drop in the second half of the season and he allowed four runs in the latest start against the Pirates. I think the Reds will score a run or two off of Mikolas in this one, but I am counting on the hosts to fill the scoreboard against Chase Anderson. Over is 4-0 in the last four H2H meetings in St. Louis; Over is 5-1 in the Cardinals’ previous six overall, while Over is 5-1 in St. Louis’ last six games vs. a right-handed starter.

Pick: Go Over 8.5 runs (-110)