The Cincinnati Reds take on the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday night at Busch Stadium! Below we will continue our MLB odds series with a Reds-Cardinals prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.

Reds-Cardinals Projected Starters 

Andrew Abbott vs. Miles Mikolas

Andrew Abbott (6-6) with a 3.40 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 84.2 innings pitched, 70K/26BB, .229 oBA

Last Start: vs. Boston Red Sox: Win, 5.2 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts

2024 Road Splits: 8 starts, 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 46.2 innings pitched, 35K/12BB, .217 oBA

Miles Mikolas (6-6) with a 4.68 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 90.1 innings, 67K/17BB, .255 oBA

Last Start: vs. San Francisco Giants: 6 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

2024 Home Splits: 7 starts, 4.81 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 39.1 innings pitched, 30K/8BB, .245 oBA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Reds-Cardinals Odds

Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-172)

Moneyline: +116

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+142)

Moneyline: -134

Over: 8 (-115)

Under: 8 (-105)

How to Watch Reds vs. Cardinals

Time: 7:45 PM ET/4:45 PM PT

TV: Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Midwest

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win

Andrew Abbott has been pitching well this season, and he is coming off one of his best starts of the year. Abbott's xERA, xBA, average exit velocity, and hard hit percentage are all very good. Abbott does an excellent job keeping hitters off the barrel, and in turn, keeping them off the basepaths. This is something he needs to do in this game. The Cardinals are playing good baseball, so it will not be easy. However, with how Abbott has been pitching, I would not be surprised to see the Reds come out victorious in this game.

The Cardinals do not have good offensive numbers on the season as a whole. They have the seventh-worst hard hit percentage, sixth-worst average exit velocity, third-worst barrel percentage, and they do not hit for a ton of power. Abbott has a good chance to shut down this team if he can be at his best, as he was in his last outing. The Reds can win this game, but it will be up to Abbott.

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cardinals have faced Abbott once this season. That game was at Great American Ballpark, but they were able to knock him around a bit. In that game, St. Louis scored six runs on six hits, and they hit two home runs. Abbott does give up a lot of fly balls, so the Cardinals hitting two home runs is not a huge surprise at a stadium like that. Nonetheless, the Cardinals hit the ball well in their last game against Abbott, so they should have the confidence in this one. If St. Louis gets their bats going, they will win this game.

Mikolas has just average numbers on the season, but his month of June is outstanding. This month, Mikolas has thrown 25.1 innings, allowed just 16 hits, walked only 3, and his ERA is 2.49. He is also 3-0 in his four starts this month. Mikolas has the hot hand right now, so he should be able to continue it. If Mikolas can throw another gem, the Cardinals are winning this game.

Final Reds-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

For my prediction, I am going to ride the hot hand. Mikolas is throwing the ball well, and the Cardinals have already roughed up Abbott once this season. I will take the Cardinals to win this game straight up.

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Final Reds-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals ML (-134)