Cardinals at Reds Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds will play the rubber match of their three-game series today at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After the fireworks yesterday with the benches-clearing brawl between Nic Castellanos, Jake Woodford, and Yadier Molina, it should be interesting to see if there are any further events today between the two teams.

Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said the pitch that hit Castellanos was unintentional, but after the antics, Castellanos put on display yesterday, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see an intentional one inside today.

This series has seen an enormous amount of runs scored, which isn't overly surprising given the lack of top-end pitching these two teams have on their rosters.

Cardinals at Reds Schedule

• First Pitch: 1:10 PM EST
• Location: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, Ohio
• How To Watch: Bally Sports Ohio

Cardinals Need Martinez To Pitch Well

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez has not pitched well as a starter since 2018. He spent 2019 recovering from a shoulder injury to then only be used in relief that season. He then started five games in 2020, but they were rather disastrous. 

So, the Cardinals have not gotten useful starting pitching from Martinez in years. That has to change starting today for the Cardinals to be the best version of themselves this season.

The rather eccentric pitcher has always had his ups and downs, but the "stuff" and talent have always been there. Some believe it's a focus and effort issue with Martinez.

Reds Offense Firing On All Cylinders

The Reds have scored 15 runs in the first two games of the 2021 season. They've gotten production from just about everyone as well. If they can continue this type of offensive output, they should be able to prop up their relatively weak pitching staff this season.

With Jeff Hoffman on the mound for the Reds today, they will need to support him with frequent runs. Hoffman had an abysmal Spring in Arizona and only made the Opening Day roster due to a lack of internal options.

All eyes will be on Nic Castellanos's first at-bat after what went down yesterday. He was ejected for his behavior, and it will be interesting to see if cooler heads prevail or more extracurriculars occur on Easter Sunday.

Cardinals at Reds Vegas Odds

• Betting Line: Cardinals -120
• Over/Under: 9.5
  

Look for another high-scoring showdown at the bandbox that is Great American Ballpark. These two offenses have been scoring runs at will, and I am not sure either of their pitching staffs have the ability to stop the other team's offense right now.

With a little warmer weather today, the ball should carry more, and that will result in some additional home runs being hit. The over/under of 9.5 seems low, and it is likely to hit the over.

Look for this game to come down to the bullpens again as to who will be able to hang on. This should be an exciting game to decide the Opening series of the season.