The St. Louis Cardinals moved 6.5 games clear at the top of the NL Central standings with a thrilling victory over the Cincinnati Reds Monday night. The Cards will look to stretch that advantage even further when they lock horns with the Reds tonight in Game 2 of their three-game series.
Who will emerge victorious in this divisional matchup? Read on below for a breakdown of this clash and while you’re at it you can check out our previews of Athletics vs. Dodgers and Angels vs. Astros.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Preview
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
When: Monday, July 28, 8:15 PM ET
Line: Cincinnati Reds (+150) at St. Louis Cardinals (-170); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the Reds suffered a tough 4-1 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. It was the second consecutive loss for the Reds who dropped down to 43-54 in the NL Central standings.
[sc:MLB240banner ]With the Reds struggling mightily right now, the pressure is on Mike Leake to deliver a great start for Cincinnati tonight. Leake has been solid for the Reds this season, posting an 8-5 record with a 3.78 ERA. The Reds have won six of their last seven games with Leake as their starter. He was superb in his last start, allowing just one run on four hits in eight innings of action in Cincinnati’s 9-1 win against the Chicago Cubs on July 22. Leake has been on a tear this month, posting a 1.67 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in his last four starts.
He can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the Reds’ offense to pick up the scoring slack as well. Expected to lead the Cincinnati lineup tonight are Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. Phillips is 13-of-41 (.317) lifetime against St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia with two homers and eight RBIs. Bruce, on the other hand, is 9-of-36 (.250) in his career against Garcia with one homer and four RBIs.
The Reds are 1-5 in their last six road games.
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Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals returned to winning ways Monday with a 4-1 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. Kolten Wong hit a towering grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning to help the Cards improve their major-league best record to 64-35.
The Cards will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when they take on the Reds in the second game of their three-game set tonight. Pitching for St. Louis this evening is Jaime Garcia (7-4, 3.33 ERA). This will be Garcia’s first start since going to the disabled list because of a left groin strain. Garcia was impressive in his last rehab start on July 23, throwing 58 pitches over five no-hit innings.
With Garcia on a loose pitch count in his first start back, the pressure is on the St. Louis hitters to deliver offensively tonight. Expected to lead the St. Louis offense this evening is the red-hot Yadier Molina. The Cards catcher is hitting 10-of-22 (.455) in his last seven games with five RBIs. He is 7-of-27 in his career against Reds starter Mike Leake with a homer and two RBIs.
The Cardinals are 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (-170) wins, 6-3.
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