The Reds and Cardinals open a 3-game series in Cincinnati starting on Friday night. Here is a look at the best same game parlay option for Cardinals-Reds, and also be sure to check out our previews and picks for today’s 15-game slate.
Cardinals ML (-125)
Cardinals vs Reds under 8.5 (-115)
Hunter Greene over 5.5 strikeouts (-110)
Parlay odds: +542
Let’s take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay:
St. Louis Cardinals ML (-125)
Although he has a 7.27 ERA, Steven Matz has been much better than his ERA suggests. He had a poor Cardinals debut as the Pirates knocked him out of the game after 3 innings, but he followed that up with a 5.2 scoreless innings start against the Brewers. His 3.96 xERA suggests that Matz will improve in his near future starts and he gets the perfect opportunity against the Reds.
The Reds have lost 9 consecutive games and their lineup has been injury plagued early on. Jonathan India, Mike Moustakas, Tyler Naquin, and Tyler Stephenson were all placed on the injured list shortly after the season started and their offensive production has fallen off a cliff. In their last 6 games, the Reds have a .154 team batting average, a .224 OBP, and a .437 OPS which all rank 30th in their respective categories. Until the Reds show any life on offense, continue to fade Cincinnati.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds
Cardinals vs Reds under 8.5 (-115)
Left-handed pitching has been a weakness for the Reds. They rank 23rd in batting average and 24th in OPS against lefty pitching this season which suggests that Cincinnati will have a hard time hitting Matz. And once Matz’s day is done, the Reds will have to face the Cardinals bullpen which ranks 1st in ERA and 3rd in opponent batting average.
The wind will be blowing in on Friday evening at Great American Ball Park and I don’t see a high-scoring game with the Reds involved. Back the pitching and add the under 8.5 to your same-game parlay.
Hunter Greene over 5.5 strikeouts (-110)
Greene has surpassed this number in both of his MLB starts. He recorded 7 strikeouts in his first career start against the Braves and then 6 strikeouts in his next start against the Dodgers. Greene is a fastball-first type of pitcher as he has thrown his 4-seam fastball for 65.7% of his pitches this season and it has an average velocity of 100 MPH through his first two starts. He likes to use his slider as both a set-up pitch and a put-away pitch and opponents are hitting .000 against that pitch with a 47.1% whiff rate.
I expect Greene to go at least 5 innings, so about one strikeout an inning seems very reasonable for the rookie. Back Greene to continue to exceed his strikeout line and add Greene over 5.5 strikeouts to the parlay.
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