The St. Louis Cardinals (27-37) host the Cincinnati Reds (29-35) at Busch Stadium on Saturday. The Cardinals took Friday’s series opener 7-4, their third head-to-head victory in five games this season.
Jordan Montgomery threw six scoreless innings – striking out six – for the win, and Giovanny Gallegos pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his eighth save.
Jordan Walker went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs in the win. Nolan Arenado added a home run and two RBIs. Stuart Fairchild was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs for the Reds.
ON THE MOUND
Andrew Abbott (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is set to take the mound for Cincinnati. The left-hander threw six scoreless innings in his last start, a 2-0 road win over the Brewers on Monday.
He earned the win, scattering one hit while striking out six and walking four. Right-hander Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.74 ERA) will toe the rubber for St. Louis.
He has made one prior start against the Reds this season, holding opposing hitters scoreless over seven innings in a 2-1 road win on May 25. He gave up five hits while striking out five in the win.
In his last start on Sunday, Mikolas took the loss on the road against the Pirates. He threw five innings and gave up two runs on 10 hits, striking out two, in the 2-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Cincinnati has averaged 4.6 runs a game, equal to their season average. Against right-handed pitchers like Mikolas this season, the Reds have a .716 OPS.
Jake Fraley is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .866 OPS in 149 at-bats. St. Louis is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.6 for the season, with their slash line slipping across the board (.208/.259/.377).
The Cards have a .739 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a .921 OPS over 61 at-bats, Tommy Edman has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cincinnati is 12-17 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 4.9 runs. St. Louis has gone 13-16 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 5.6 runs per game while surrendering 5.0.
In the last 10 games between the NL Central rivals at Busch Stadium, St. Louis is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.0-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Reds are third in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Pirates. The Cardinals are fifth in the NL Central, seven games behind the Pirates.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-175)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
