Free MLB Picks Today: St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds 9/17/22 (Game 2)

The Cincinnati Reds (57-87) are on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals (85-60) at Busch Stadium on Saturday in a doubleheader. The Cardinals leveled the series 1-1 after winning 6-5 on Friday, their 10th head-to-head victory in 16 games this season. Chris Stratton got the win with 0.1 scoreless innings of relief, and Ryan Helsley struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 18th save. Albert Pujols went 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Paul Goldschmidt added two doubles, two runs, and one RBI. Nick Senzel was 2 for 3 with a double and one run for the Reds.

ON THE MOUND

Hunter Greene (4-12, 5.26 ERA) is in line to start for Cincinnati in the second game of the doubleheader. The RHP threw six scoreless innings in his last start, a 3-1 road win over the Marlins on August 1. He got the win, scattering one hit while striking out eight. Over three previous starts against the Cardinals this season, Greene has allowed eight earned runs over 13.1 innings (0-2, 5.40). He has struck out 16 and walked nine. For St. Louis, left-hander Jose Quintana (5-6, 3.41 ERA) is on the mound. He has made two appearances against the Reds this season, both as the starter, giving up two runs over 11.2 innings (0-0, 1.54) with six strikeouts and two walks. In his last start on Sunday, Quintana took a no-decision on the road against the Pirates. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up one run on four hits, striking out four and walking one in the 4-3 victory.

AT THE PLATE

Over the last five games, Cincinnati has averaged only 2.6 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.2, while performing worse across the board (.184/.267/.335). Against southpaws like Quintana this season, the Reds have a .717 OPS. Kyle Farmer is the team’s most productive hitter against left-handers with a .981 OPS in 127 at-bats. St. Louis is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.9 for the season. The Cards have a .739 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .928 OPS over 410 at-bats, Goldschmidt has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Cincinnati is 28-44 on the road in 2022, scoring 3.7 runs per game while allowing 5.0 runs. St. Louis has gone 49-26 at home this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game while surrendering 3.6. In the last 10 games at Busch Stadium between the NL Central rivals, St. Louis is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 4.9-3.3.