BODY:
The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds open an unusual five-game series at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Monday, August 17, with first pitch scheduled for 1:40 p.m. EST on ESPN and MLB TV.
The series features makeup games, which accounts for the five-game format rather than a standard three-game set. According to Yahoo Sports, St. Louis enters at 63-61 on the season while Cincinnati sits at 59-64. The Cardinals are 5-3 against the Reds this year, though Cincinnati won the most recent series between the two clubs, 2-1.
Monday's pitching matchup sends Cardinals right-hander Quinn Matthews to the mound against a Reds starter listed as TBA. Matthews carries a 3.60 ERA through 5.0 innings pitched this season, along with a 1.80 WHIP and three strikeouts against three walks.
St. Louis is listed as a slight moneyline favorite at -112, with Cincinnati at +104. The run total is set at 9.5, with the Cardinals at +135 to cover the -1.5 run spread.
The series also carries National League Rookie of the Year implications. Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt and Reds third baseman Sal Stewart are the two frontrunners for the award. Wetherholt holds a slight edge in the overall race, but Stewart has been the hotter hitter in the second half of the season. Wetherholt is hitting just .170 in August with 14 walks and seven strikeouts. Stewart is hitting .283 in August with three home runs and seven RBI.
Cincinnati's team-wide offensive struggles in August add context to the series. The Reds are hitting a major-league-worst .191 as a team this month and rank 24th or worse in OPS, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. The club has scored only 51 runs over 14 August games, ranking 24th in baseball. Their pitching staff carries a 4.51 ERA in August, also ranking 24th.
The Cardinals have been running the opposite direction. St. Louis has won four of their last five games and outscored opponents 28-9 in that stretch. The Cardinals rank in the top 10 in baseball this month in batting average at .257 and runs scored with 71, tied for ninth.
Alec Burleson has been one of the hottest hitters in the Cardinals lineup, batting .340 in August with six home runs and 19 RBI. Jordan Walker is hitting .313 this month with nine RBI. Elly De La Cruz has struggled for Cincinnati, hitting .137 in August with 14 strikeouts across 51 at-bats.
St. Louis enters the series ranked fifth in the majors in against-the-spread record at 68-56.
