St Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/20/2026

Game Time: 12:40 pm ET, Thursday, August 20, 2026

Venue:  Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals -110, Reds -110; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals -110, Reds -110; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals -110, Reds -110; Over/Under:  9 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  65-62 (3rd place, NL Central)

Cincinnati Reds:  60-66 (5th place, NL Central)

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St Louis Cardinals:  7-3 last 10

Cincinnati Reds:  4-6 last 10

The Cardinals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 65-62 record overall and have a road record of 33-28. This is the series finale of a 5-game series with the Reds on Thursday with the 4th game still to be played on Wednesday. The Cardinals won the series opener on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Monday, and won the 3rd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .698 OPS. Matthew Liberatore is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Michael McGreevy is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 5-9 with a 3.48 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 6 SO on 5 hits through 6 IP against the Chicago Cubs.

The Reds are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 60-66 record overall and have a home record of 31-35. This is the 5th game of a 5-game series with the Cardinals on Thursday with the 4th game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. The Reds lost the 1st game of this series on Monday, won the 2nd game on Monday, and lost the 3rd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .696 OPS. Chase Burns is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Brady Singer is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 5-11 with a 4.66 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 2 homers, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts on 8 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Miami Marlins.

The current betting odds have the Cardinals listed as a pick ‘em in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 65-62 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a better road team too with their 33-28 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Reds haven't looked good in their games this season with their 60-66 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark either with their 31-35 home record this season. The Reds have been in the Wild Card race in the NL barely, but lately they have been slipping away from it, now 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Cardinals are also in that same race and they have been doing the opposite lately, now 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Cardinals are going with McGreevy in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 5-9 with a 3.48 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts. He is coming off another great start giving up no runs which has been a common theme for him this year and the team has been starting to have more success with him lately too, winning 3 games in a row now with him starting. The Reds are going with Singer in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 5-11 with a 4.66 ERA and the team hasn't been having a lot of success with him lately. They have lost 2 games in a row now with him starting and he is coming off a start giving up 3 earned runs which has been a common theme for him. The Cardinals have been the much hotter team lately as they push for the playoffs, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup and continue rolling here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cardinals to win this game. 

Cardinals Reds Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, August 20, 2026 (12:40 pm ET start time) is Cardinals 7 Reds 3.

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St Louis Cardinals: 135-128 (+5.4 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 43-46 (+5.3 units) on the moneyline vs. good power teams - averaging 1.25 or more HR's/game. 82-65 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a poor bullpen whose ERA is 4.20 or worse. 27-17 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150.

Cincinnati Reds: 219-232 (-7.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 114-113 (-15.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 126-134 (-8.3 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 11-6 UNDER at home vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better.

St Louis Cardinals:  M. Rajcic (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Urias (3B) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Cincinnati Reds:  H. Greene (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Dunn (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Steer (1B) Ten Day IL - Wrist. T. Santillan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. G. Ashcraft (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. B. Williamson (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

“He’s very good at baseball. Phenomenal day.” - Oliver Marmol on Masyn Winn after his team’s win against the Reds in their game on Tuesday. 

“I thought Abbott was really good. He was filling the strike zone up with all his pitches. We’ve got to find a way to score some runs for him.” - Terry Francona after his team’s loss against the Cardinals in their game on Tuesday. 

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Joshua Báez (R) LF

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Masyn Winn (R) SS

José Fermín (R) CF

Pedro Pagés (R) C

Elly De La Cruz (S) SS

Sal Stewart (R) 1B

JJ Bleday (L) LF

Eugenio Suárez (R) DH

Tyler Stephenson (R) C

Dane Myers (R) CF

Matt McLain (R) 2B

Héctor Rodríguez (L) RF

Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

Batting Average:  Alec Burleson (.289)

Hits:  Alec Burleson (139)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (24)

RBI:  Alec Burleson (92)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (17)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (12)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (32)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (2.70)

Batting Average:  Blake Dunn (.282)

Hits:  Sal Stewart (124)

Home Runs:  Sal Stewart (26)

RBI:  Sal Stewart (91)

Stolen Bases:  Elly De La Cruz (21)

Wins:  Chase Burns (14)

Saves:  Emilio Pagán (15)

ERA:  Chase Burns (2.47)

Managers:

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)

Cincinnati Reds: Terry Francona (2nd season)