Reds vs Cardinals Odds: Youth Infusion Has Reds Buzzing

National League Central rivals St. Louis and Cincinnati will meet for a three-game series starting Friday at Busch Stadium. The teams split a four-game set last month, though Cincinnati’s roster looks pretty different now thanks to the arrival of prized prospect Elly De La Cruz.

Who will have the edge this time? Let’s assess both clubs in our Reds vs. Cardinals odds preview.

Future is Now for Cincy

Elly De La Cruz, a 6-foot-5 shortstop named baseball’s No. 1 prospect last month by ESPN, has made a quick impression since being promoted from Triple-A Louisville, going 3-for-7 with a home run in his first two games as a Red. De La Cruz slugged a 458-foot homer off Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard and then tripled in Wednesday’s 8-6 win. The 114.8 mph exit velocity on his homer was the hardest-hit ball by a Red this season.

The 21-year-old was batting .296 with 12 homers, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases in the minors at the time of his call-up. He took the roster spot of third baseman Nick Senzel, who was placed on the 10-day Injured List with a right knee injury. A native of the Dominican Republic, De La Cruz hit 28 homers and stole 47 bases last year between Single-A and Double-A.

In rallying to take two straight games from Los Angeles on the MLB schedule, Cincinnati improved to 29-33. The third-place Reds are 5.0 games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central and just 3.5 out of the final Wild Card spot. Its run differential of minus-30 is the third-worst in the NL, suggesting the club is due to regress.

Then again, Cincinnati’s roster looks vastly different from Opening Day, thanks to a wave of young talent. Shortstop Matt McLain, a 2021 first-round pick, is hitting .348 with a .922 OPS since being called up, while 24-year-old left-hander Andrew Abbott pitched six shutout innings in his Major League debut.

Theoretically, the Reds should only continue improving as their youngsters become more comfortable. That’s something to consider when assessing the Reds vs Cardinals odds.

Cardinals Down Deep

If the Mets and Padres are baseball’s most disappointing teams, the 26-37 Cardinals are close behind. St. Louis is sitting in last place in the NL Central, 8.5 games behind Milwaukee, despite being the only MLB team in the division with a positive run differential (plus-1). They own the second-worst win percentage (.413) in the NL behind Washington (.410) and are tied with Colorado for the most losses.

Simply put, it’s been a nightmare start, and any hope of a turnaround seems far-fetched. Willson Contreras, whom they signed to a five-year, $87 million contract in December, has been terrible at the plate and was moved from catcher to designated hitter after barely a month. He’s hitting only .210 with a .662 OPS.

The Cardinals rank fifth in the majors in homers, with 85, and are also top 10 in runs scored, with 290. However, their pitching was average at best, recording a 4.23 ERA. Only Oakland and Kansas City have turned in fewer quality starts than the Cardinals’ 14.

Over a week into June, the Cardinals need more time to get right.

Game 1

• Jordan Montgomery vs Ben Lively (Friday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Montgomery, acquired at last season’s trade deadline from the Yankees, is 2-7 with a 4.23 ERA. The left-hander allowed four runs over four innings in a 6-5, 10-inning loss to Cincinnati on May 23. His counterpart, Lively,has pitched well since shifting to the rotation, registering a 3.33 ERA over four starts.

St. Louis is a -180 favorite to win outright, with Cincinnati priced at +145. According to Reds vs Cardinals odds, the projected total is nine juiced toward the under at -120.

Game 2

• Miles Mikolas vs Andrew Abbott (Saturday, 2:15 p.m. ET)

Mikolas is 4-2 with a 3.74 ERA, coming off an offseason in which he signed a two-year, $40 million extension. He threw seven shutout innings in a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati on May 25, striking out five.

Abbott, a 2021 second-round draft pick and Cincinnati’s top pitching prospect threw six shutout innings against Milwaukee in his Major League debut on Monday. According to OptaSTATS, the University of Virginia product is the only Reds left-hander in the modern era to pitch six shutout innings with six-plus strikeouts and no more than one hit allowed in his first start.

Game 3

• Adam Wainwright vs Hunter Greene (Sunday, 2:15 p.m. ET)

The 41-year-old Wainwright has struggled since coming off the Injured List in early May, recording a 5.71 ERA over six starts. He allowed five runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings in an 8-5 win over the Reds on May 23. Wainwright has yet to complete six innings in any start this season.

One of baseball’s hardest throwers, Greene ranks sixth with 88 strikeouts in 62 innings. He is 1-4 but owns a solid 3.92 ERA.

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