The Cincinnati Reds host the St. Louis Cardinals on August 17, 2026. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on CARD.
The Cardinals are favored by -115 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Reds are -105 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 9.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Cardinals vs Reds prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Cardinals vs Reds Prediction
- Cardinals vs Reds Pick: Cardinals -108 (Play to -115)
My Cardinals vs Reds best bet is on the St. Louis moneyline. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cardinals vs Reds Odds
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -163 | 9.5 -100o / -119u | -115 |
| Reds Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 +135 | 9.5 -100o / -119u | -105 |
- Cardinals vs Reds moneyline: Cardinals -115, Reds -105
- Cardinals vs Reds over/under: 9.5 (-100o / -119u)
- Cardinals vs Reds spread: Cardinals -1.5 (+135), Reds +1.5 (-163)
Cardinals vs Reds Probable Pitchers
| LHP Quinn Mathews (STL) | Stat | RHP Chase Petty (CIN) |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | W-L | 1-2 |
| 0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | -0.2 |
| 3.60/3.59 | ERA / xERA | 4.83/5.68 |
| 3.68/6.41 | FIP / xFIP | 5.73/5.52 |
| 0.0% | K-BB% | 4.3% |
| 35.3% | GB% | 37.5% |
| .333 | BABIP | .236 |
| 103 | Stuff+ | 100 |
| 101 | Location+ | 100 |
Cardinals vs Reds MLB Betting Preview
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
After a rainout on May 24, the Cardinals and Reds will play a doubleheader on Monday with Quinn Mathews getting the ball for St. Louis in game one. Mathews is just 25 years old and making his second big league start after he made his MLB debut on August 1.
Mathews did solid in his debut, allowing two runs across five innings and striking out three. He did allow three walks, though, which has been an issue in the minor leagues as well. Mathews has had success in Triple-A this season, posting a 3.27 ERA in 21 starts. He has racked up 120 strikeouts in 99 innings.
St. Louis’s offense has been very boom-or-bust this season. They have the power bats to put up runs in a hurry, but they have been streaky throughout the year. The Cardinals do not strike out much, but they rank just 19th in scoring and 25th in team OPS.
The Red Birds’ offense has been carried this season by the breakout season of your star Jordan Walker and the rookie of the year campaign from JJ Wetherholt. St. Louis also just received an energy injection from the electric debut of Joshua Baez.
Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview
This is a brutal time for the Reds to piece together pitching for a doubleheader, as their arms have been heavily taxed. Middle relievers Tejay Antone, Julian Garcia, and Ron Marinaccio all threw over 30 pitches yesterday and will be unavailable. Cincinnati also has very few options in Triple-A they can seemingly turn to. It appears Chase Petty is the most logical answer to get recalled prior to Monday’s game.
The problem is that Petty has been transitioning to a bullpen role and has not thrown more than 50 pitches in a game since early June. He last pitched for the Reds on August 7, working as an opener and going just 1 2/3 innings. I expect we will see a similar line on Monday, but who knows what they will do after him to piece together the rest of the innings.
Every year we try to talk ourselves into the talent in this Reds’ lineup, but it doesn’t seem to show up on the field. Cincinnati ranks just 27th in scoring on the season and 24th in OPS, despite playing in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the league. The Reds hit a ton of home runs, but that’s about it.
The top bats of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart have been getting it done for the most part for Cincinnati; they both have an OPS over .800. But after them, this offense falls off a cliff. The combination of injuries and inconsistency has left the Reds' lineup incredibly thin and easy for opposing pitchers to navigate.
Cardinals vs Reds Pick, Betting Analysis
Given so much uncertainty around the pitching and strategy with a doubleheader, this game is ultimately a pass for me. If you are somebody who is bored at work this afternoon and absolutely needs to bet this game, I would lean towards St. Louis, given all the pitching questions for Cincinnati.
Regardless of who starts for the Reds, they will most likely just be asked to cover an inning or two. But Antone, Garcia, and Marinaccio are all unavailable, and Sam Moll is likely fatigued as well. That leaves just four true relievers, and closer Emilio Pagan is fully rested to try and cover the relief innings for two games today.
Mathews is obviously very unproven, but he has shown elite strikeout upside in the minor leagues. He has a 10.91 K/9 rate in Triple-A this season. Mathews throws a fastball in the high 90s with a dynamic changeup. His issue has just been with his command. I’ll take my chances with his upside that he can find the zone on Monday.
Offensively, both of these teams are pretty underwhelming. They sit 24th and 25th in team OPS this season. However, over the last two weeks, St. Louis ranks seventh in OPS and sixth in runs scored thanks to the Baez debut and a red-hot Alec Burleson.
The Cardinals have a deeper lineup right now and a fully rested bullpen to help them navigate the first half of this doubleheader. I lean the Red Birds in game one.
Pick: Cardinals -108 (Play to -115)
