Cardinals take on the Reds in division matchup
Cincinnati Reds (28-32, fifth in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (30-29, third in the NL Central)
St. Louis; Thursday, 1:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (2-3, 4.97 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 55 strikeouts) Cardinals: Dakota Hudson (4-3, 3.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 42 strikeouts)
LINE: Cardinals favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Division rivals St. Louis and Cincinnati will play on Thursday at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals are 14-14 against opponents from the NL Central. The St. Louis pitching staff averages 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, Jack Flaherty leads them with a mark of 10.2.
The Reds are 11-16 against teams from the NL Central. Cincinnati has hit 85 home runs as a team this season. Derek Dietrich leads the team with 17, averaging one every 7.6 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Marcell Ozuna leads the Cardinals with 16 home runs and is slugging .528. Matt Carpenter is 11-for-32 with three home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for St. Louis.
Dietrich leads the Reds with 17 home runs home runs and is slugging .700. Nick Senzel is 14-for-45 with six doubles, a home run and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Cincinnati.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 5-5, .211 batting average, 3.70 ERA, outscored by five runs
Reds: 5-5, .305 batting average, 4.45 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs
Cardinals Injuries: Mike Mayers: 10-day IL (shoulder), Brett Cecil: 60-day IL (wrist/forearm), Yadier Molina: 10-day IL (thumb).
Reds Injuries: Alex Wood: 60-day IL (back), Robert Stephenson: 10-day IL (neck), Scooter Gennett: 60-day IL (groin), Alex Blandino: 10-day IL (knee).
-
2024 MLB predictions by Ben Verlander: Standings, playoffs, World Series
MLB young core rankings, Nos. 10-1: Braves, Orioles built to win now and later
Predicting MLB’s biggest turnarounds in 2024: Yankees, Cardinals playoff bound?
-
One MLB player to watch from every team: Juan Soto one-and-done with Yankees?
MLB's best closers: Ranking the top 10 for 2024
2024 MLB spring training: Schedule, report dates, locations for every team
-
2024 MLB Odds: Five teams to bet the over on projected win totals
2024 MLB Odds: Ben Verlander's Over/Under win total picks for all 30 teams
-
2024 MLB predictions by Ben Verlander: Standings, playoffs, World Series
MLB young core rankings, Nos. 10-1: Braves, Orioles built to win now and later
Predicting MLB’s biggest turnarounds in 2024: Yankees, Cardinals playoff bound?
-
One MLB player to watch from every team: Juan Soto one-and-done with Yankees?
MLB's best closers: Ranking the top 10 for 2024
2024 MLB spring training: Schedule, report dates, locations for every team
-
2024 MLB Odds: Five teams to bet the over on projected win totals
2024 MLB Odds: Ben Verlander's Over/Under win total picks for all 30 teams