We have unusual matinee baseball on a Monday, and even more unusual it's a series opener – sort of -- as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Cincinnati Reds with a 1:40 ET first pitch in the NL Central matchup. I say sort of because it's a makeup game of one rained out from May 24, and it's the first game of a split doubleheader.
Bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets instantly when you bet on baseball at DraftKings:: I generally try to avoid picking the same club in back-to-back newsletters, and I did examine the Cards at Wrigley Field in a Friday matinee. But I'll almost never ignore a standalone matinee like this one early in the week. If you're interested in MLB betting and want to try it on the best sports betting apps, you can check out the SportsLine Projection Model for picks on games like Cardinals-Reds from the simulations and our experts.
I don't see either club with a great chance at postseason baseball. Cincinnati certainly is not getting there, sitting five games under .500 and with a minus-86 run differential. The Reds recently got devastating news when ace Hunter Greene was ruled out not just for the rest of 2026 but likely all of next season following a second career Tommy John surgery (sadly, John himself passed on Sunday).
When healthy, Greene is as good a starting pitcher as there is in the majors, but he just can't seem to stay that way. Frankly, I wonder if the Reds now secretly wouldn't mind there not being a 2027 regular season due to a lockout. MLB players don't receive their regular base salaries during a lockout, and Greene is due $15.3 million next season.
That's a lot of change for a small-market franchise to eat. Because the franchise is rather frugal, I don't think that the job of manager Terry Francona is in any jeopardy, especially after he got the club to the Wild-Card Round last year. Place your Cardinals-Reds wages and get $1,500 in bonus bets back at BetMGM Sportsbook:: The Reds, who also have starting first baseman Spencer Steer (.238, 16 HR, 40 RBI) currently on the IL, will apparently go with some sort of bullpen game – both teams get to add a 27th pitcher for the DH – led by Chase Petty, who is the added guy for them.
Petty (1-2, 4.83 ERA) has made 16 appearances in the Show this year and three starts as an opener. He last pitched for Cincy on Aug. 7 and allowed two earned over 1.2 innings as an opener but did blank the Cards over two innings on June 25. I don't expect him to be out there very long, and a parade of relievers will follow.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
