MLB Reds vs. Cardinals Picks & Predictions for August 26, 2013
By ATSSportsline.com
ST. LOUIS, MO (ATS Consultants) – The Reds and Cardinals will kick off a series tonight that will impact both the NL Central and postseason race in the National League. First pitch is at 7:05PM ET.
ODDS: According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Cardinals are -105 money line favorites over the Reds, who are -103 on the ML. With Mike Leake set to face Tyler Lyons in the pitching matchup, the over/under for tonight’s game is currently sitting at 8 runs.
LINE MOVEMENT: The Cardinals opened as -110 money line favorites but their odds have dropped to -105, while the Reds’ odds have gone from +102 down to -103. Cincinnati enters play with a 74-57 record overall and is 33-33 on the road this year, while St. Louis is 76-54 overall and 39-24 at home.
PUBLIC BETTING: Of the current wagers placed on tonight’s game, 51% of the betting public currently favors Cincinnati. This information is subject to change, however, so make sure you click on the link provided for the most updated numbers.
MLB FREE PICK: Take the over. According to latest MLB trends, Cincinnati is 5-0 Over last 5 after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game, 8-3 in Leake's last 11 starts after scoring 2 runs or less their previous game and 4-0 over last 4 in this series. St. Louis is 5-1-1 Over last 7 at home vs. right-handed starter and 11-5-1 Over last 17 vs. NL Central.
This is a tough matchup for the Cardinals after they played well against Atlanta this past weekend. They now are tied with Pittsburgh for the lead in the National League Central. Cincinnati is just 2.5 games behind both teams and seven games ahead of Arizona for the last wild card spot. They could have helped themselves this past weekend, but they lost two of three to the lowly Milwaukee Brewers. Mike Leake (11-5, 3.12 ERA) goes the mound for the Reds. His numbers are good overall but he's struggled this month. In four starts, Leake is 1-1 with a 6.26 ERA. In his last start against Arizona, he picked up the win but allowed four runs in six innings. On August 4, he allowed seven runs over five innings in a loss to the Cardinals. Tyler Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA) is a left-hander who is filling in for the injured Jake Westbrook. He faced Cincinnati on June 8 and gave up four runs over 5 1/3 innings, allowing homers to Jay Bruce and Devin Mesorasco. He was just recalled last week to pitch out of the bullpen before Westbrook strained his lower back. Lyons has given up 13 runs in his last three starts.
2013 MLB FREE PICK: REDS/CARDINALS OVER 8
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