Cardinals vs Reds Odds & Prediction: Monday F5 Pick

Monday, May 27

4:10 p.m. ET

MLB.TV

St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+1.5 -155	9.5 -105o / -115u	+130

Cincinnati Reds Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-1.5 +130	9.5 -105o / -115u	-155

Odds via Caesars. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here.

Two teams who have underachieved through the first two months of the season but are still hanging around in the NL Central race will meet for the first time in 2024 on Monday.

The Cardinals travel to Cincinnati following a late finish at home on Sunday night against the Cubs. The Reds, meanwhile, sit in last place in the division but are starting to heat up after pulling off a shocking sweep of the Dodgers at Great American Ballpark.

Let's dive into the MLB odds and make a Cardinals vs Reds prediction.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals got off to a brutal 15-24 start, which was not a positive sign after finishing 20 games below .500 in 2023.

St. Louis has turned the corner of late by winning 10 of its last 12 games, including a pair of wins over the Cubs this past weekend. Prior to those two victories, the Cards won five of six at Busch Stadium against the Red Sox and Orioles, while scoring five runs or more four times.

Since losing the season opener to the Dodgers, the Cardinals have won six of their last seven road series openers, with the lone loss coming at Milwaukee earlier this month.

The Cardinals brought back right-hander Lance Lynn in the offseason after spending the first six seasons of his career with St. Louis from 2011-17. St. Louis won four of his first five starts, although three victories came against teams with losing records. In Lynn's last five outings, the Cards are 1-4, with the lone victory coming in his last start against Baltimore as a +145 home underdog.

Lynn put together his best start of 2024 by slowing down the Orioles with six innings of two-hit ball and not walking a batter for the first time this season.

St. Louis won the season series against Cincinnati in 2023 by going 7-6, which included a 4-3 mark at Great American Ballpark.

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have finished with a winning record in three of the last four seasons, but they have struggled with a 23-30 mark thus far to land at the bottom of the NL Central.

However, Cincinnati sits 7 1/2 games behind division leader Milwaukee, as the Reds swept NL West-leading Los Angeles at home this past weekend. The Reds limited the mighty Dodgers offense to one run in each of the final two wins, while cashing in all three victories as an underdog.

How bad were things for Cincinnati prior to the sweep of the Dodgers? The Reds were 16-13 on April 30 and then proceeded to lose 17 of their next 21 games.

Cincinnati is seeking its first four-game winning streak of the season as left-hander Nick Lodolo takes the mound. Lodolo is back following an IL stint with a groin injury, as he allowed four runs in six innings in a 5-1 defeat at San Francisco on May 11.

In fact, the four runs given up by the fireballer came on one swing of the bat, as Giants third baseman Matt Chapman drilled a grand slam off Lodolo to basically put the game out of reach in the first inning. That was only the third home run allowed by Lodolo this season in six starts — he now faces a St. Louis team that has hit the second-fewest home runs in baseball.

Lodolo has delivered six strikeouts or more in five of six outings, including 10 punchouts in his season debut against the White Sox and 11 strikeouts in a road win at San Diego.

The southpaw didn't face the Cardinals last season, but split a pair of starts against St. Louis in 2022, which included a home victory.

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Cardinals vs. Reds

Betting Pick & Prediction

We're going to focus on a first five (F5) innings prediction for this matinee.

Lynn owns a 2-6-2 record in the F5 this season, including a 1-4 mark on the road. Also, St. Louis has posted a dreadful 2-7-1 mark in the first five innings when facing a left-handed starting pitcher.

Yes, Lodolo has been on the shelf for the last two weeks, but he'll be looking to bounce back from consecutive losses to the Orioles and Giants.

The Cardinals put together a great home stand, but having the quick turnaround following the long rain delay Sunday night may hamper them early on Monday.

Pick: Reds F5 -0.5 (-106 | Play to -110)

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