Venue: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET (local time)
TV: Cardinals.TV / Reds.TV (regional)
This NL Central matchup pits the third-place Cardinals (13 games back of Milwaukee in the division) against the fifth-place Reds. St. Louis holds a 2-1 series lead after a 3-0 shutout win on Tuesday and leads the season series 7-4. It is the 12th meeting of the year between the clubs.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Cardinals: LHP Matthew Liberatore (5-10, 5.07 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 116 K in 119.0 IP). He has allowed 20 home runs and struggles with consistency; recent outings include a solid 5.1 IP with 6 K against the Cubs but higher ERAs overall. Road ERA sits near 5.13.
Reds: RHP Chase Burns (14-2, 2.47 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 151 K in 131.0 IP). One of the top starters in the league this season; he threw a complete-game shutout effort recently vs. Miami (7 IP, 0 R, 8 K in a 1-0 win) and has limited hard contact effectively.
Burns holds a clear edge in form and season numbers.
Current Weather Forecast (Great American Ball Park)
Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy with a chance of showers/thunderstorms, especially later in the evening. Game-time temperature around 75–78°F (high near 78–81°F earlier), humidity elevated (potentially 80%+), light winds (SW/W around 3–5 mph, right-to-left or variable). Precipitation chance ~30–40% during the afternoon/evening window, rising overnight. Conditions could slightly favor hitters with humidity but risk delays if storms develop.
Injury Reports
St. Louis Cardinals:
Ramón Urías (3B) – 60-day IL (right elbow); expected return ~Aug 25.
Max Rajcic (SP/RP) – 60-day IL (right elbow); expected ~Sep 1.
Key active contributors include Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera, and others.
Cincinnati Reds:
Spencer Steer (1B) – 10-day IL (wrist); expected ~Sep 1.
Tony Santillan (RP) – 15-day IL (oblique); nearing return (~Aug 21).
Brandon Williamson (SP) – 60-day IL (shoulder).
Graham Ashcraft (RP) – 60-day IL (forearm).
Blake Dunn (CF) – 60-day IL (elbow).
Hunter Greene (SP) – 60-day IL (elbow surgery; out for season).
Elly De La Cruz is active and contributing (recent walk-off double in the series). Sal Stewart leads the offense.
Key Player Matchups & Notable Performers
Burns vs. Cardinals hitters: Expect challenges for St. Louis’ right-handed bats against Burns’ strong command and strikeout ability. Alec Burleson (hot recently: multi-hit games, strong RBI production) and Jordan Walker (team HR leader around 24) are key threats. Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt provide speed/contact.
Liberatore vs. Reds hitters: Left-handed look could trouble some Reds lefties, but Sal Stewart (26 HR, strong RBI totals) and Elly De La Cruz (power/speed, recent series impact) are dangerous. Eugenio Suárez has shown recent multi-hit form; JJ Bleday and Dane Myers offer secondary threats. Great American Ball Park favors power, which benefits the Reds’ HR edge (163 vs. Cardinals’ 131).
Team stats edge: Cardinals better overall pitching (team ERA ~3.99–4.02) and slightly better batting average; Reds hit more home runs but rank near the bottom in average/OBP and have struggled to score lately.
Recent Team Forms
Cardinals: 6-4 in last 10; strong recent stretch including series win vs. Cubs and 2-1 lead here (W 2-1, L 5-6/10, W 3-0 in series). Road record 33-28. Outscored opponents in recent wins.
Reds: 4-6 in last 10; struggling offensively (scored 1 or fewer runs in multiple recent games). Home record 31-35. Lost 3-0 on Tuesday after a walk-off win earlier in the series. Season series deficit reflects broader inconsistency.
Series History
Cardinals lead season series 7-4 (12th meeting Wednesday). Recent results at GABP: Cardinals took two of three so far in this set (including a shutout). Historical rivalry is competitive, but St. Louis has held the edge in 2026 meetings. Unders have dominated many recent H2H games.
Betting Trends
Reds ~54% as favorites overall; solid when heavily favored.
Cardinals competitive as underdogs (~48–52% in similar spots).
Season O/U: Cardinals lean under; Reds closer to even or slight over. Recent H2H and series games have seen several unders. Models are mixed (some slight Reds edge on pitcher quality; others near coin-flip favoring Cardinals slightly due to form).
GAME ODDS
St. Louis Cardinals 8.5
Cincinnati Reds – 140
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, August 18, 2026
