Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview Saturday 4/24/21
On Saturday, the Cardinals and the Reds will play the middle game of a three-game series. This great matchup will be where this weekend’s baseball picks will come from. The first contest of the series is slated for Friday night. St. Louis and Cincinnati are two of the best teams in the National League Central Division.
Every division game is essential, so look for these contests to be very competitive. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Here are some things that you should know before Saturday’s game.
Miley vs. Gant
Wade Miley will throw for Cincinnati, while John Gant will pitch for St. Louis. Pitching has been troublesome for the Cardinals.
Jack Flaherty has been phenomenal all season, posting a 3-0 record. However, the rest of the staff has been far from spectacular.
Gant’s ERA has been solid at 2.25. However, he has been unable to pick up a win in 2021.
St. Louis is known for dominant hitting, but it has struggled to put together great performances. Gant has thrown 14 innings and recorded 13 strikeouts, but he has not received run support.
Miley will pitch for Cincinnati, and he has been fantastic all year. He is proving why he is the ace of Cincinnati’s rotation. Miley has gone 2-1 in three games with a 2.25 ERA.
The southpaw has struck out 14 batters in 16 innings of work, but he has kept the ball in the yard.
We crushed our last free pick, when we took UCLA +14 over Gonzaga. Go see what we thought in our UCLA Bruins vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs betting preview.
Will the Benches Clear?
There is a lot of bad blood between the Reds and the Cardinals in 2021. The tension started on Opening Day, and it carried through the first series of the year. Nick Castellanos hit a home run when the Reds were losing by a massive deficit on Opening Day.
Castellanos celebrated, and St. Louis did not enjoy his actions, causing Jake Woodford to throw at him in game two. After he took his base, and there ended up being a play at the plate. Castellanos flexed over Woodford at home on a passed ball, causing the benches to clear.
Nick Castellanos served his two-game suspension on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week after losing his appeal. He will play against the Cardinals on Saturday, so expect there to be some tempers flaring. I imagine that the umpires will warn both sides before the game, but this does not always stop retaliation.
Head-to-Head Record
Saturday will be part of the second series of the year between Cincinnati and St. Louis. The Reds hosted the Cardinals to start the season, but the roles will be reversed on Saturday.
St. Louis defeated Cincinnati on Opening Day by a score of 11-6. However, the Reds bounced back and won the new two contests. Cincinnati outscored the Cardinals 21-7 in the final two games of the opening series.
The team that controls this series will probably end the weekend at the top of the National League Central. The Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers are all at the top of the group.
St. Louis is two games behind Cincinnati and Milwaukee, who are leading the division. Both are still tied on the odds board to win the NL Central at +200. But it’s important when choosing the best sportsbook for MLB to find the odds that work best for you. It’s hard to bet against the Reds when Miley is pitching. I am taking Cincinnati on Saturday.
You can wager on MLB series outcomes like these when the lines go live at the sportsbook, usually the day before the series opens.