Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (66-69) at Cincinnati Reds (68-66)
Time: 5:40pm CT Friday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Matthew Liberatore (6-11, 4.27 ERA) vs Zack Littell (9-8, 3.62 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Reds -137, Cardinals +113
Total: 9 (over +101, under -123)
Cards Head To Cincy
The St. Louis Cardinals are in Cincinnati to begin a three-game set with the Reds tonight.
The Cards are coming off a split of a four-game series with the Pirates, while the Reds have dropped six of their last seven.
Cards Struggling Vs. Righties
The Cardinals will be facing right-hander Zack Littell this evening. They have just not been good enough against righties this season with a .700 OPS that ranks 26th in MLB. Over the last 30 days, the Cards are dead last in OPS against right-handers at .591.
Matthew Liberatore will be on the bump for the Cardinals tonight. He has made it through 5 innings just once over his last 7 starts. The Reds have been a good opponent for him though, as he has a 2.53 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 8 games (1 start) against them.
Reds Not Hitting Lefties
The Reds are in their unfavorable split tonight, as they have had plenty of troubles against southpaws. Cincinnati ranks 26th in MLB with a .639 OPS against lefties this season.
Littell has been a consistent pitcher this year with 15 quality starts, which is tied for 16th in MLB. He allowed 3 earned runs in just 3 innings of work in his last outing. Littell has given up 3+ earned runs in consecutive starts just twice this season, so he figures to have a good start tonight.
My Pick
This total feels a little high to me. With both teams in their unfavorable split, I think the under is a good look here - and I’m good taking the full game under rather than just the first five innings. Both bullpens have been performing well, ranking in the top half of MLB in ERA both over the last 30 days and for the season. The Cardinals actually rank 4th in all of baseball with a 3.59 bullpen ERA in 2025.
Taking the under at Great American Ball Park has also been a profitable strategy this season with the under cashing 65.5% of the time.
Pick: Under 9 at -123 on DraftKings (bet to -125)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer