Reds vs. Cardinals Prediction and Odds for Sunday, June 12 (Cards on the Run Line is the Play)

It seems like the Cincinnati Reds' mini-hot streak has come to an end and the worst team to ever start a season is back to their losing ways. They lost three in a row last weekend to the Washington Nationals and followed that up by going 2-2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Either of these three teams could finish the season with the worst record in baseball, yet they are beating up on the Reds. May was the Reds month but I think the downward spiral will continue into the summer. 

In stark contrast, the St. Louis Cardinals recently moved into first place in the NL Central despite a rough series in Tampa Bay. But they asserted their dominance on the Reds by shutting them out in Game 1 and I don’t expect Cincy to put up much more of a fight this afternoon. 

Here are the odds for this game from consensus sportsbooks. 

Reds vs. Cardinals Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

• Reds: +1.5 (-150)
• Cardinals: -1.5 (+130)

Moneyline:

• Reds: +140
• Cardinals: -160

Total:

• Total 8 (Over -105/Under -115)

Reds vs. Cardinals Prediction and Pick

A lot of Reds fans are getting excited by the hot start from rookie Graham Ashcraft. In four starts this year, Ashcraft is 3-0 with a 1.14 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Impressive numbers to be sure, but Ashcraft has some red flags to discuss. One of which has been the quality of teams he is facing off against and the other is his strikeout to walk rate.

Ashcraft started the year with a rough start against Toronto that left him with a 4.15 ERA but followed up with a strong six-inning shutout of the Giants. His last two games though, in which he was phenomenal, came against the Diamondbacks and Nationals. Arizona has the second-worst batting average in the league while the Nationals are 21st in runs scored. That is not to say that the Reds don’t have something special here, but I’m not willing to tag Ashraft as the savior of Cincinnati. 

The Cardinals are probably the best offense Ashcraft has faced this year and enter this game with the 8th best batting average in the MLB. STL also ranks 6th in runs, 5th in hits, and 7th in RBIs. They also don’t strike out a lot which will be an issue for Ashcraft. The rookie is doing a lot right, but he does struggle to get strikeouts. He has just 13 in four starts compared to five walks. 

Dakota Hudson has been a stud for the Cardinals this year with a 2.76 ERA and 1.21 WHIP and will make his 12th start of the year today. I don’t worry too much about him in this game and has six scoreless innings against the Reds already this year. 

Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+130)

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