The Reds make the trip to St. Louis to face the Cardinals! These two teams have been having similar seasons with neither being able to find any consistency. The Cardinals are playing better while the Reds are spiraling. Our MLB odds series has our Reds-Cardinals prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

Reds-Cardinals Projected Starters 

Frankie Montas vs. Andre Pallante

Frankie Montas (3-5) with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched six innings and gave up two runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts in a Reds loss.

2024 Road Splits: (2-1) 4.91 ERA

Andre Pallante (3-3) with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 5.1 innings and gave up five runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts in a Cardinals win.

2024 Home Splits: (2-1) 5.65 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Reds-Cardinals Odds

Cincinnati Reds: -1.5 (+168)

Moneyline: +100

St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-205)

Moneyline: -118

Over: 8.5 (-110)

Under: 8.5 (-110)

How to Watch Reds vs. Cardinals

Time: 8:15 pm ET

TV: Bally Sports Midwest / Bally Sports Ohio

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Reds have struggled to find consistency and have a 37-43. They have lost four out of their last five games and two straight leading into this game. Cincinnati has struggled to get going behind the plate, ranking near the bottom of the MLB. Their pitching has been red-hot and is just outside the top 10 of the MLB. Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Will Benson, Jeimer Candelario, and Jake Fraley have been standouts in a struggling offense this season. Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, and Nick Lodolo have all been at varying levels of good for Cincinnati on the mound. The Reds have had their fair share of struggles this season, and can't find any consistency.

The Reds are starting Frankie Montas on the mound where he has a 3-5 record, a 4.48 ERA, and a 1.36 WHIP. Through 66.1 innings, he has allowed 37 runs on 63 hits with 27 walks and 53 strikeouts up to this point in the season. In his 14 starts, the Reds are 4-10 this season. Montas has struggled this season, but it might not matter with the Cardinals' offense being below average.

The Reds have struggled behind the plate this season. They are ranked 27th in batting average at .228 after they finished with a .249 batting average just one season ago. Elly De La Cruz, Jonathan India, Jeimer Candelario, and Spencer Steer lead in most batting categories. India leads in batting average at .268 and in OBP at .376. De la Cruz and Candelario are tied for the lead in home runs at 14 and De La Cruz leads in total hits at 74. Finally, Steer leads in RBI at 49. The Reds might not have any issues with Andre Pallante struggling and getting the nod for the Cardinals on the mound.

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cardinals have been inconsistent this season, but they have a winning record of 41-38. They have won five out of their last six games. The Cardinals have been below average with their bats and then just outside the top 10 in pitching this season. Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Willson Contreras have at least tried to stand out on a bad offense. On the mound, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Sonny Gray have been solid for a unit that has struggled this season.

The Cardinals are starting Andre Pallante on the mound, where he has a 3-3 record, a 5.23 ERA, and a 1.62 WHIP up to this point in the season. Through 32.2 innings, he has allowed 21 runs on 38 hits with 15 walks and 26 strikeouts. In his 14 appearances this season, the Cardinals have gone 4-10. Pallante has been inconsistent whether he has been a starter or when he has come in out of the bullpen in relief. That might not matter much because the Reds have struggled behind the plate.

The offense for the Cardinals has struggled this season. They are 17th in team-batting average at .240 after finishing last season with a .250 batting average by comparison. Masynn Winn, Nolan Gorman, and Brendan Donovan lead the way for the Cardinals in most batting categories. Winn leads in batting average at .292 and then Gorman leads the way in home runs at 16. Finally, Donovan leads in RBI at 40, in OBP at .337, and in total hits at 78. The Cardinals offense has an interesting matchup against Frankie Montas where both have been inconsistent this season.

Final Reds-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

The Reds are struggling more than the Cardinals leading into this matchup. The Reds have a slight advantage at pitcher with Montas over Pallante. The Cardinals are the better offense and the hotter team. The Cardinals should keep this close and cover and potentially win this game at home.

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Final Reds-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-205)