The St. Louis Cardinals just keep rolling along after knocking off the Reds in Monday’s series opener. The Cards own the best record in the Major League’s and are the most profitable team in baseball after winning eight of 10 games following the All-Star break.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Cincinnati keeps looking for answers and they likely won’t find any in St. Louis after Monday’s 4-1 series opening loss. The Reds dropped seven of 10 and have scored 11 runs while dropping six straight to the Cardinals after winning the season’s first meeting. The Reds were outscored 13-4 while being swept in St. Louis from Apr. 17-19 and have lost 15 of their last 18 games there. The Cardinals continue to play the best baseball in the Majors and are the most profitable team. The Cards improved to 64-35 with Monday’s win, their eighth in 10 games since the All-Star break, and are in the black 23.08 units on the moneyline. They’re even more devastating at Busch Stadium with a 37-13 record up 19.04 units.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Anthony DeSclafani (5-7, 3.98 ERA) provided a good outing for the Reds on Friday, pitching seven innings and allowing three runs in a no-decision against Colorado. He struck out five and walked two in his longest outing since June 4, but he’s winless over his last seven starts. With the rotation losing veteran Johnny Cueto following his trade, another deep start will be needed by the rookie.
DeSclafani will make his first career start against the Cardinals. He pitched a perfect inning in relief last season in his only appearance against them.
John Lackey (9-5, 2.88 ERA) yielded two runs in seven innings defeating the Royals on Thursday. He’s pitched into the seventh innings and hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his last eight starts and he’ll again be pitching at home where he has a 1.97 ERA in 10 games. Lackey has surrendered just 10 home runs in 131.1 innings, well down from the 24 he allowed in 198 frames last year.
He gave up four runs over six innings in his only start against the Reds this year and is 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA in five career starts against them.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“There are just a few people in the league at that position with the skill set that he has. He’s not scared of the big moments. He gets in that spot and has a lot of faith in himself that he’s going to get it done. That typically comes with a guy who’s been around a little bit longer than Kolten.” – Cardinals manager Mike Matheny on second baseman Kolten Wong, who hit a grand slam in Monday’s win.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The St. Louis Cardinals bolstered their bullpen by acquiring former closer Steve Cishek in a trade with Miami last week. Now their starting rotation gets stronger with the return of Jaime Garcia from the disabled list. The Cards’ starting rotation owns a major league-best 2.79 ERA and 67 quality starts while the entire staff has the league’s lowest ERA at 2.63, a number that seems to recede with every outing. Cishek lost his closer job earlier this season with the Marlins and was event sent down to the minors after posting a 6.98 ERA over 19.1 innings. He’s rebounded nicely since returning, though, with a 0.66 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 13.2 innings. He will set up for Trevor Rosenthal and adds depth to an overworked bullpen.
PROP TALK
With trades happening and the talk of deals swirling around the Reds clubhouse, Joey Votto’s recent hot streak has gone largely unnoticed. Since the All-Star break, the Reds’ first baseman has been hotter than hot hitting .526 with three home runs and six RBIs in 38 at-bats. He’s also walked 12 times in that span for a .647 on-base percentage and a ridiculous 1.489 OPS. Votto doubled and walked in two official at-bats Monday to get his average above .300 for the first time since mid-May. Votto has two hits in three career at-bats against John Lackey with both leaving the yard.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
John Lackey and the Cardinals have been really good this season. The Reds haven’t. St. Louis has owned Cincinnati, especially in Busch Stadium the last two seasons and with all the trade speculation in the Reds’ clubhouse, it has to be tough to concentrate on baseball. The bottom line is that the Cardinals are just a better team. Lackey has been an anchor for the best staff in baseball and is a remarkable story in 2015. He’s won better than 14 games just once and has never had an ERA below 3.00 in his previous 13 seasons. The bubble may burst, but more than likely it’s that Cardinal magic.
St. Louis 5, Cincinnati 3
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, 2015, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium. The game will be televised live on FSN.
