St Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/19/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Venue:  Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +113, Reds -136; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +115, Reds -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +110, Reds -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  64-62 (3rd place, NL Central)

Cincinnati Reds:  60-65 (5th place, NL Central)

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St Louis Cardinals:  6-4 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 64-62 record overall and have a road record of 32-28. This is the 4th game of a 5-game series with the Reds on Wednesday with the 3rd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Cardinals won the series opener on Monday and lost the 2nd game on Monday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .699 OPS. Kyle Leahy is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Matthew Liberatore is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 5-10 with a 5.07 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 6 SO on 2 hits through 5.1 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 60-65 record overall and have a home record of 31-34. This is the 4th game of a 5-game series with the Cardinals on Wednesday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Reds lost the 1st game of this series on Monday and won the 2nd game on Monday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .699 OPS. Andrew Abbott is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Chase Burns is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 14-2 with a 2.47 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 8 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Miami Marlins.

The current betting odds have the Reds listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 64-62 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a better road team too with their 32-28 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Reds haven't looked good in their games this season with their 60-65 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 31-34 home record this season. The Cardinals are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they have been hot lately while the Reds are only 4-6 in their last 10 games, but the Reds do have the better pitching matchup in this one and they are still fighting to get back into the Wild Card race. The Reds are going with Burns in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 14-2 with a 2.47 ERA and he has been their ace this year. He is coming off another great start giving up no runs which has been a common theme for him and the team has won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting too. The Cardinals are going with Liberatore in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 5-10 with a 5.07 ERA and he has been giving up a lot of runs this year. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and the team has still lost 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Reds have been really up and down lately, but their offense has been putting up more runs over the last week and this is a pitching matchup that they can take advantage of to keep their playoff hopes alive in this very important series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Reds to win this game. 

Cardinals Reds Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 19, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Reds 5 Cardinals 2.

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St Louis Cardinals: 120-124 (+28.4 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 115-101 (+14.3 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8 to 8.5. 81-65 (+9.2 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a poor bullpen whose ERA is 4.20 or worse. 39-18 UNDER when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Cincinnati Reds: 219-231 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 114-112 (-14.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 93-78 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 12-5 UNDER at home against left-handed starters.

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.

“We competed for 19 innings today. You have to be proud of the guys for doing that. It's not easy. It's definitely not easy. Game [126] and you're traveling. It's not a lot of people in the stands. A little bit more dull. You go from Chicago where it's packed, a high-adrenaline to a low and a little bit less-adrenaline environment, so we're going to play hard.” - Andre Pallante after splitting their double-header against the Reds on Monday. 

“He’s a great player. He’s been going through a tough time. Hitters do that." - Terry Francona on Elly De La Cruz after his team split their double-header against the Cardinals on Monday. 

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Iván Herrera (R) C

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Jordan Walker (R) DH

Joshua Báez (R) RF

Nathan Church (L) CF

Masyn Winn (R) SS

Bryan Torres (L) LF

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Elly De La Cruz (S) DH

Sal Stewart (R) 2B

JJ Bleday (L) LF

Eugenio Suárez (R) 3B

Michael Toglia (S) 1B

Matt McLain (R) SS

Héctor Rodríguez (L) RF

Jose Trevino (R) C

TJ Friedl (L) CF

Batting Average:  Alec Burleson (.289)

Hits:  Alec Burleson (138)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (24)

RBI:  Alec Burleson (92)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (17)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (12)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (31)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (2.70)

Batting Average:  Blake Dunn (.282)

Hits:  Sal Stewart (123)

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)