Cardinals at Reds Prediction - MLB Picks 9/9/23

Cincinnati Reds (73-70) vs St. Louis Cardinals (62-79)

Game Info: Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 6:40 pm (Great American Ball Park)

Carson Spiers (0-0) (6.75) vs Zack Thompson (4-4) (3.91)

Betting Odds: Cincinnati Reds +115 / St. Louis Cardinals -125 --- Over/Under: 10.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds will meet for game two of their divisional series this Saturday from Great American Ballpark.

Cardinals Preview & Projected Starter

St. Louis moved to 62-79 after defeating Cincinnati. The Cardinals came out strong in game one, and they’ll attempt to double down here on Saturday. The St. Louis offense is scoring 3.97 runs per game, while batting .258, with a .328 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.64 ERA, with a 1.49 WHIP.

Zach Thompson (4-5, 3.91 ERA, 53 Ks) will start for St. Louis. The second-year reliever has been so-so in a bullpen/spot starter role this season, as he’s allowed two runs or more in four of his last eight spots.

Cardinals Player Trends & Props

Nolan Arenado snapped a four-game hitless streak in the series finale, and he’s St. Louis’ leader in home runs (26) and RBI (87).

Paul Goldschmidt has recorded a hit in seven of the last ten games, and he leads the Cards in hits (141), with splits of .278/22/69.

Wilson Contreras homered twice in the game two victory over SD, and he’s posting a line of .253/15/54.

Nolan Gorman produced a run in Wednesday’s win, and he’s second on the team in homers (24), with 68 RBI.

Reds Preview & Projected Starter

Cincinnati moved to 68-66 after falling to St. Louis. The Reds were outgunned for the second game in a row, and they’ll look to turn things around Saturday. The Cincinnati offense is scoring 3.78 runs per game, while batting .257, with a .334 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.96 ERA, with a 1.46 WHIP.

Carson Spiers (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 7 Ks) will get the call for Cincinnati. The rookie righty went four innings, and gave up three runs to Chicago in his debut, and he’ll look to improve on that effort here in his second outing.

Reds Player Trends & Props

Spencer Steer doubled in the lone run in the game two loss, has and he leads the team in hits (128), home runs (18), with 72 RBI.

Elly De La Cruz has scored a run in five of the previous nine games, and he’s batting .242, with 52 runs scored thru 72 big league games.

TJ Friedl has collected a hit in seven of the last ten games, and he’s posting splits of .274/11/48.

Corey’s Free Pick

St. Louis has surprisingly played pretty well early this month on the road, and it’d be fitting if they end their best week of the season with a win, but the playoff-hopeful Reds may have other ideas. Both pitching staffs will likely yield production in this contest, especially with Cincy looking to avoid a third straight loss, so I like targeting the magic number here. Take the Over for this NL Central matchup.