Cardinals vs Reds Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (Sep. 1)

• The Cincinnati Reds are -190 favorites over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday (September 1st, 6:40 pm ET) in the second game of a day-night doubleheader
• Cincinnati will give the ball to Sonny Gray (6-6, 3.91 ERA), while St. Louis will counter with J.A. Happ (3-0, 2.22 ERA)
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

Entering play Wednesday (September 1st), just 2.5 games separate NL Central rivals St. Louis and Cincinnati in the race for the second Wild Card berth. The Reds currently occupy that spot, but three straight losses, coupled with three wins in four games for the Cardinals, has St. Louis breathing down Cincy’s neck.

The Cards took Game 1 of this four-game set on Monday, and after rain washed away action on Tuesday, the rivals will play a twin bill on Wednesday.

Cardinals vs Reds Odds

Odds as of Sept. 1st at DraftKings.

The Reds opened up as a -190 favorite in the second game of the day-night doubleheader, while the contest features a total of 7.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm ET at the Great American Ball Park in Cincy, with clear skies and 55 degree night time temperatures in the forecast.

Probable Pitchers

The matchup will be a battle between a pair of veteran starters, each in the midst of an impressive stretch. Sonny Gray will take the ball for Cincinnati, looking for his first win in three starts this season against St. Louis.

Sonny Gray, Ridiculous Two Seamers. 😳
[19" & 20" of run] pic.twitter.com/6UyUPAT7Hv

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 26, 2021

The right-hander has posted back-to-back shutout performances, blanking both Miami and NL Central leading Milwaukee. His latest outing against the Brewers was one of his finest starts of the season, as he scattered just three hits over 6 innings, while striking out six.

He’s now allowed only four hits over his past 14 innings, posting a 11-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio along the way. Gray has posted the second highest K/9 rate of his career this season, while his xFIP is the lowest it’s been since 2014.

Happ vs Gray

For whatever reason, the Cardinals have had his number this season, racking up 13 runs in only 7 innings against him, but that hasn’t always been the case. Two years ago, he posted a 1.08 ERA in three starts versus St. Louis, shutting them out on two separate occasions.

The Cardinals will counter with J.A. Happ, who’s been phenomenal since coming over from Minnesota. He’s surrendered two runs or less in all five starts as a Cardinal, and is fresh off 5.2 innings of two run ball against Pittsburgh. He scattered three hits versus the Pirates, and is limiting opposing lineups to a .200 batting average for St. Louis, after yielding a .306 opponent batting average as a member of the Twins.

He allowed three runs in his only start against Cincinnati this season, as a member of Minnesota, but didn’t factor into the decision.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

Both Nick Castellanos and Joey Votto have a long track record of success versus Happ. The duo has combined for 23 hits in 51 at-bats (.450 avg), with a pair of home runs and six extra-base hits.

Cardinals vs Reds Pick

Typically, the Reds are one of the highest scoring lineups per game, but the offense has dried up lately. They’ve produced just three runs total in their past three games, recording only two hits in back-to-back outings.

pic.twitter.com/YqHbkjSLiB

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 31, 2021

St. Louis meanwhile, ranks 25th in runs, and bottom-10 in slugging and OPS. They’ve been limited to three runs or less in five of their past eight games, and a matchup with a red-hot Gray is likely to lead to more offensive struggles, despite their earlier success against him.

Also working in favor of the under is the fact that this game is a doubleheader, and all contests that are apart of twin bills this season are only 7 innings.

Pick: Under 7 (-105)