Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals 9/15/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

St. Louis is closing in on the NL Central title, and Cincinnati has been eliminated this week while riding a six-game losing skid. Teams are going in opposite directions, but there is still some intrigue as the Cards and Reds begin a series Thursday in St. Louis. Make sure you catch  all the best baseball picks at our free MLB previews.

Albert Pujols is three home runs away from being the fourth person in history to pass the 700 homer mark. While St. Louis is close to the division title, it has not been dominant lately, going 6-4 over the last 10 games. St. Louis holds an 8-4 edge in the season series and is 6-2 against the Reds in St. Louis.

The scheduled pitchers for both teams have a habit of giving up the long ball. St. Louis pitcher Miles Milolas (11-11, 3.42) gave up three home runs to the Reds on Aug. 28, though the Cards still won. Cincinnati's Chase Anderson (0-3, 9.00) has given up home runs in three of his last four appearances. He was rocked in his last two games against the Cardinals, going just one inning in each game. In those two appearances, he gave up six hits and eight runs over two total innings.

The Cardinals are tied for sixth in home runs with 179, and the Reds are 19th with 129. The Reds are third from the bottom in ERA at 4.89, while St. Louis is 10th at 3.87. Cincinnati has given up 193 home runs this season, next to worst in the league. St. Louis has given up 132, the sixth-fewest in the league.