The National League Central race remains crowded heading into Saturday’s meeting between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. St. Louis enters the day at 28-21 and sits near the top of the division, while Cincinnati is trying to stay above .500 at 26-24 after dealing with inconsistent pitching throughout the first two months of the season. Before the second game of their doubleheader begins on Saturday night, you will find my breakdown of this contest, including my Cardinals vs Reds prediction.
Our Cardinals vs Reds Game 2 Pick
Pick: Cardinals Moneyline
Confidence: 4 out of 5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds
Date & Time: Saturday, May 23, 2026, 7:15 PM
Starting Pitchers: Kyle Leahy vs Chase Petty
Stadium: Great American Ball Park
Broadcast: FOX
Key Storylines
St. Louis enters the day at 28-21 and remains within striking distance of first place in the NL Central.
Cincinnati has battled major pitching issues this season and ranks near the bottom of MLB in several pitching categories. Their team ERA of 4.71 is a major concern coming into this matchup.
The Cardinals have won behind strong recent work from their pitching staff, including quality outings from Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante.
The Reds continue to miss several key pitchers, including Hunter Greene and Emilio Pagan.
Great American Ball Park remains one of the more hitter-friendly venues in baseball, making bullpen depth important late in games. That is especially true in the second game of a double-header.
The Reds' pitching staff owns one of the weakest overall statistical profiles in baseball entering the weekend.
This game could come down to bullpen usage in the first game of the day, as the team that saves its bullpen arms for this game will be in a much better position to win here.
Key Players
St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Walker leads the Cardinals in home runs, RBI, and batting average this season.
Alec Burleson is right behind Walker in both batting average and RBI and will be a key component in this game for the Cards.
Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz remains the centerpiece of the offense with elite speed and power.
Sal Stewart leads the Reds with 12 home runs and 34 RBI.
Betting Trends & H2H
Saturday's games will be the first meetings of the season between these division rivals.
St. Louis enters Saturday at 15-8 on the road this season.
The Reds are 13-11 at home in 2026 going into this doubleheader.
Cardinals vs Reds Game 2 Model Projection
Score Projection: Cardinals 6 - Reds 4
Win Probability: Cardinals 58%, Reds 42%
St. Louis enters this matchup with the more trustworthy starting pitcher and the steadier overall pitching staff. Leahy has not been dominant, but he has consistently kept games manageable and gives the Cardinals a chance to win the bullpen battle late. Cincinnati’s issues on the mound remain difficult to ignore, especially late in the game. Doubleheaders are always tough to predict, but I'll go with the Cardinals to win this matchup in Game 2.
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