The Cincinnati Reds will continue their four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Reds-Cardinals prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.

Reds-Cardinals Projected Starters 

Carson Spiers vs. Sonny Gray

Carson Spiers (1-1) with a 3.45 ERA

Last Start: Spiers went six innings in his last outing, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, including five strikeouts in a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2024 Road Splits: Spiers is 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA over two starts away from the Great American Ballpark.

Sonny Gray (9-4) with a 2.81 ERA

Last Start: Gray went seven innings while allowing one earned run on one hit, including eight strikeouts in a win over the San Francisco Giants.

2024 Home Splits: Gray has thrived at Busch Stadium, going 6-2 with a 1.51 ERA over eight starts.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Reds-Cardinals Odds

Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-146)

Moneyline: +142

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+122)

Moneyline: -168

Over: 8.5 (+102)

Under: 8.5 (-124)

How to Watch Reds vs. Cardinals

Time: 2:15 PM ET/11:15 AM PT

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Reds are struggling to keep pace in the National League Central. However, they have done well enough to keep themselves alive in the wildcard race, as they entered Friday trailing the Cardinals by 3 1/2 games. Much of that has been attributed to injuries, as they have been without Matt McLain since the start of the season and Christian Encarnacion-Strand for the better part of the season. Yet, they are still alive. While McClain will return in August, Encarcaion-Strand is out for the season after undergoing wrist surgery. In the meantime, they still have one of the best young talents in the game.

Elly De La Cruz continues to shine and set records. Moreover, he is stealing bases with amazing frequency. De La Cruz entered the weekend with 38 stolen bases. While he still is not the greatest hitter, with a batting average of .255 with 14 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 54 runs, he is elite when he can find himself on the basepaths. But he cannot do it alone. No, he has had to try and get some scoring done while his two teammates have been on the shelf. Therefore, others have had to step up.

Jonathan India has started to pick things up. So far, he is batting .272 with five home runs, 32 RBIs, and 37 runs. But Spencer Steer has had more inconsistency. Ultimately, he is hitting .241 with 10 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 38 runs.

Spiers starts for a rotation that is 16th in the majors in team ERA. When his time in the game is over, he will turn the game over to a pretty strong bullpen. Cincinnati's relievers rank ninth in team ERA, and have done an excellent job in holding the line down.

The Reds will cover the spread if De La Cruz can get on base and come all the way around to score. Then, they need a strong outing from Spiers and a solid job from the bullpen.

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cardinals are currently hanging onto the final wildcard spot in the National League despite a core of aging players and upstart young players who are inconsistent. Sadly, this season has seen a sharp decline for some players and some unfortunate injuries for others.

Nolan Arenado suffered a shoulder injury recently but was good enough to return to the lineup a few days ago. Regardless, it just has not been a good season for him, as he has struggled, with numbers way below his usual marks. Arenado was batting .258 with seven home runs, 34 RBIs, and 27 runs coming into the weekend. Paul Goldschmidt's decline is much worse. Sadly, he was batting just .230 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 38 runs going into the weekend.

But the young upstarts have done more than enough to help the veterans balance out this team. Amazingly, Masyn Winn has been a solid hitter and is now batting .288 with four home runs, 27 RBIs, and 32 runs. Nolan Gorman has been powerful but inconsistent. So far, he is hitting .191 with 16 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 32 runs.

Gray leads a rotation that is 19th in team ERA. Then, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is 11th in team ERA. The slight improvement in pitching has paid dividends for the Cards this season.

The Cardinals will cover the spread if Arenado, Goldschmidt, Gorman, and Winn can clobber the baseball and get on base. Then, they need a good outing from Gray.

Final Reds-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

The Reds are the best team in the majors at covering the spread on the road, as they came into Friday with a 25-13 run-line record. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are the second-best team in the majors at covering the spread at home, coming in with a 22-16 run-line record. The Reds covered the spread on Thursday. But Gray has only lost twice at home, and the Cardinals have only failed to cover the spread twice in his home starts. Roll with the Cardinals to cover.

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Final Reds-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+122)