The Cincinnati Reds have turned in some impressive pitching performances since trading Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake at the deadline. They’ll look to continue their recent run of success against the Cardinals Thursday when the teams conclude a three-game series.
ODDS ANALYSIS
After dropping six straight to the Cardinals in the season series, the Reds have reversed their fortunes, winning their third in a row over the NL Central leaders with a 3-2 decision on Tuesday. The teams cashed the under for the sixth consecutive time in the series and have played below the scoreline seven times in the first 10 meetings. The past six games have seen a combined average of 4.17 runs. St. Louis is the top under team in baseball this season with a 63-39-4 under record and the under is 10-2-1 in the Cardinals’ last 13 games overall. The Reds are on a nice little roll against the top teams in the division, winning five of seven against the Cards and Pirates, all as underdogs, to go up 4.65 units on the moneyline.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Michael Wacha (12-4, 3.09 ERA) got back on track in his last start by throwing seven scoreless innings against the Rockies. He struggled in his three previous outings posting a 6.88 ERA with his overall ERA rising from 2.66 to 3.27 in those games. He regained control of his fastball by striking out seven with just one walk.
Wacha will try and parlay his strong outing into success against the Reds, who he subdued in his first two starts of the year on April 11 and 17, when he surrendered just one run in each start.
Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.80 ERA) was charged with five earned runs in 5.2 innings Friday in a loss to the Pirates. He’ll be happy to flip the calendar to August after a terrible stretch in July. The rookie righty went 0-4 with an 8.61 ERA in five starts during July, going six innings just once during that stretch. He’ll be facing the Cardinals for the first time.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“I refuse to give any guy in this league that much credit saying we’re going in having to get it done in eight innings because we can’t hit this guy. It’s not going to happen. We’re going to get him. We will. It’s just a matter of time.” – Cardinals manager mike Matheny on Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, who had his 23rd consecutive scoreless appearance against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The blazing speed of Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton thrust him into an exclusive club Saturday. Hamilton, who finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2014, became just the 14th player in history to swipe at least 50 bags more than once before his age-25 season when he stole his 50th and 51st of the season in Pittsburgh. Hamilton stole 56 bases as a rookie last season but was surprisingly inefficient on the basepaths, successful in only 70.1 percent of his attempts. He’s improved his success rate significantly this season, getting thrown out just seven times in 58 tries.
PROP TALK
Facing the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff should help Matt Carpenter break out of a slump. He’s showing glimpses of coming around after a brutal stretch. The Cardinals moved Carpenter back to the leadoff spot a week ago and he’s responded with 10 hits in 23 at-bats. He accounted for the only St. Louis runs in Tuesday’s loss with a two-run homer and added a single for his fourth multi-hit game in the last eight. Carpenter bats .395 in 10 games against the Reds this season with three home runs, nine RBIs and seven runs scored, and he’s a .324 career hitter in 111 at-bats at Great American Ball Park.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
With some horrible outings last month, Michael Lorenzen doesn’t look like he belongs in the Reds’ starting rotation. He’ll continue to get his shot after the club dealt Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, but he has yet to seize the opportunity. The Cards have hit a wall recently on the offensive side, having their weak numbers bolstered by a few games against Colorado’s MLB-worst staff, but Lorenzen has been hit hard and the Cards are ready for a breakout. Having Michael Wacha, who has shut down the Reds over his career, on the bump is reassuring for St. Louis.
St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 2
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the St. Louis Cardinals versus the Cincinnati Reds will commence Thursday, August 6, 2015, at 12:35 p.m. ET at Great American Ball Park. The game will be televised live on FSN.
