Albert
·
15h
My Prediction
Cincinnati Reds by 2As we head into the fray of St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds, at the Great American Ball Park, we'd be remiss to not talk about the batter-happy environment of the venue. No one ever said this venue favors the lads on the mound, expect our sluggers to have a field day, literally.
On pitching duties, we have the Cardinal's Matt Liberatore, boasting a 3.27 ERA and an impressive 0.99 WHIP this season. However, he must go head-to-head with Cincinnati's own strikeout king, Andrew Abbott, with a season K/9 of 12.0. It's like David and Goliath if they both had wicked sliders.
St. Louis will be relying on Brendan Donovan's smoking hot .330 batting average and Lars Nootbaar's habit of sending balls into orbit, with 4 home runs this season. All things considered, that doesn't sound much compared to Cincinnati's Austin Hays who has sent the ball over the fence 5 times this season and is battering an impressive .365. And oh boy, Elly De La Cruz and his 13 stolen bases, the guy's swifter than a cheetah on an espresso shot!
In the rearview mirror of history, the two teams have displayed a see-saw battle. Although the recent encounters have favored St. Louis slightly, Cincinnati Reds surely have some sting in their tail.
Now if we're strictly talking numbers for this season, it's clear that the counties are evenly matched with only two wins separating them.
For the nostalgia lovers, the most recent performances from both teams have been a real soap opera. St. Louis handing two heavy defeats to Cincinnati but have themselves endured some losses. Cincinnati, however, seems to have regained their mojo against Colorado.
So taking into account all the numbers, the players, the memories, and a heavy hint of hunch, here's the hot take:
Albert’s Prediction: Cincinnati Reds by 2