Thursday night from Busch Stadium features two teams right around the .500 mark. So, the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals play at 7:45 pm. St. Louis is a half dozen games over .500 at home while Cincinnati is predictably a half dozen games under .500 on the road. However, some believe the Reds have a slight advantage on Thursday night. Reds vs Cardinals bets take on this tilt.
It is time to pour over the numbers for this Thursday contest.
Reds vs Cardinals bets seeing green on Thursday. Honestly, this has been one very strange 2024 season for the both teams. There is this sense that Cincinnati just cannot catch a break. Losing to Pittsburgh at home cannot be gone for one’s confidence heading on the road. Anyway, then there is St. Louis, who is probably glad that Atlanta is getting out of town or are they?
St. Louis won four straight going into late Wednesday’s action and had won seven of their previous ten games. This places them in second place firmly 5.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers at press time. As for the wildcard spot. the Cardinals hold that with a tenuous grip as several teams are nipping at their heels. Mind you, there remains half a season to go. Here is a nice table on the Thursday night matchup.
Experts are skeptical understandably with both teams. The Cardinals struggle at times against lesser teams and Cincinnati has been even more guilty. The thing is this. As we saw last year, teams do not have to be great during the regular season.Now, our Vegas news and betting picks are ready once more. After all, baseball only heats up from here.
So, the Bovada Las Vegas online Sportsbook review lobs some fastballs and curves alike this Thursday. Let’s try to sort a few of these out.
Okay the Reds vs Cardinals bets like fewer runs on Thursday. Now, both pitchers give up their share of home runs. However, the one thing both teams excel at is not scoring against each other. All three meetings earlier in the season combined for eight or fewer runs. When a pitcher who is good in most situations goes against a home-dominant hurler, usually the Under is on the docket.
Now, the Cardinals are averaging 4.05 runs a game and giving up a bit more. Meanwhile, the Reds score 4.3 runs a game while allowing 4.2. Good old National League ball often becomes dominant in games between these two teams. Look at their power hitters and how paltry their batting averages are. Plenty of swings and misses could be on the horizon.
Warm weather makes the baseball move normally and temperatures will be around 80. However, winds expect to be blowing in around 10 mph. That does not sound like much but this makes a difference. Again, Andrew Abbott has a low ERA of 3.40 despite giving up a home run every 5.6 innings pitched. If one wonders about Miles Mikolas, he has three wins in his past four starts including a gem against Pittsburgh where he gave up 1 hit.
Hey, the pitching is not the best here. Bluntly, the hitting is not either. Both teams expect to play things close. Do not be surprised if this game’s margin is a mere run or two. Two of the first three meetings went that way. Taking the Under proves to be a solid move.
Yes, how about playing it safe with the Cardinals?. The Reds vs Cardinals bets attempt to keep things simple. As much as VegasBetting wants to tilt toward the spread, that kind of plus money may not be the most prudent idea on Thursday. These teams tend to play close and the idea that this could be decided late by a mere run has us concerned.
Okay, what about the Reds scoring three of fewer runs on Monday? That stands at a plus currently (+115 on Bovada). Alas, we like the Moneyline at -125 (MyBookie) a lot here. It is our top pick as the Cardinals get to stay home while the Reds are traveling after an afternoon matinees against the Pirates.
Props for batters and pitchers are an idea we will lay off for now. Early numbers were not too enticing. Instead of getting too complex, going simplistic was a plan.
Naturally, taking the home Cardinals to win on the Moneyline at -125 is our pick. We were hoping for a -115 or -120 but we did get a reasonable number considering the St. Louis record and streak. Being on a solid roll lately helps the bottom line but again wagering small to end the week sets up for other baseball wagers and other sports too.
MLB Online Betting Sites get to the fun this Thursday night. Aside from the game above, there are several quality games on the slate including Baltimore and Texas plus Toronto entertains the New York Yankees. Will the Yankees come back to Earth more or will they start another streak?
Anyway, good luck tonight and enjoy all the action!
Chris Wassel is someone who has covered a little bit of everything: business, writing, sports, food, grilling, the Olympics, injuries, politics, and more. He has climbed mountains like Mount Washington and Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California, and for those who don’t know, he is also big into food challenges. With friends like Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has tackled eating feats like finishing a 16-pound turkey or a 32-inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, he has focused on fitness, fishing, and sports while managing to fit in running, hiking, rock climbing, and even the occasional mini-triathlon. He can lift more than his body weight with ease and is the person you turn to when you want to know if a NASCAR rain delay means a Monday race. Over his career, Chris has worked at places like Amazon, USA Today, and various rumors and fantasy sports sites. He has been nominated for awards such as the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hockey Writer of the Year and has a collection of high-stakes fantasy trophies and rings on display at home. With all this, Chris sums it up best with his motto: "Shut up and play."