St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, 5/22/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds

Date: Friday, May 22, 2026

Location: Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH

TV: Reds.TV

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+132) Cincinnati (-160)

The St. Louis Cardinals (28-20) are on their way to Great American Ball Park on Friday where they will attempt to beat the Cincinnati Reds (26-24). The line on this matchup has the Cardinals at +132 and the Reds are sitting at -160. The total is 8.5. The starting pitchers are Kyle Leahy and Chris Paddack.

The Cardinals have compiled 71 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 55 balls out of the stadium. St. Louis has a slugging % of .389 and have been rung up 388 times, while drawing a walk on 164 occasions. As a squad, the St. Louis Cardinals are putting up 4.5 runs per game, which has them sitting at 11th in the league. They have accrued 210 runs batted in in addition to 387 hits this season, and their team batting average comes in at .240. They have 217 runs scored and have an on-base percentage of .321.

Get all of our MLB Betting Picks

The Cardinals are sitting with a team ERA of 4.21 so far this year (18th in the league), and they have rung up 349 batters. Cardinals pitchers have allowed 50 home runs in addition to 218 total runs (15th in the league). They have walked 180 opposing players and their FIP is 4.41 as a team on the year. St. Louis has yielded 422 hits (8.7 per 9 innings) and also 203 earned runs. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 1.94 and the pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.39.

The Cardinals relief pitchers have recorded a save rate of 65.4% and have stepped onto the mound in 71 save situations. They have recorded 17 saves on the season and have blown 9 out of their 26 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 75 base runners for the season with 34.7% of those runners crossing home plate. Cardinals bullpen pitchers have entered the contest with opponents on base 54 times as well as having 63 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cardinals have dispatched 173 relief pitchers to the mound for the year. The bullpen have a total of 43 holds on the year (1st in MLB).

The St. Louis Cardinals have 1,303 putouts this season, as well as 468 assists and 23 errors. Their fielding rate is currently at .987 which has them sitting 12th in MLB, and have a total of 50 double plays. The Cardinals have turned 69.5% of balls in play into outs out of their 3,909 innings on the field, which has them sitting at 21st in pro baseball.

Leahy has taken the mound for 183 frames and has 149 strikeouts in his career. Leahy (10-7 mark in his career) sits with a FIP of 3.68 while he has faced 774 opposing hitters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 3.73 (76 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.298. He has surrendered 175 base knocks (8.6 hits per 9 innings) and has had 63 walks.

Cincinnati has tallied 63 HRs so far this season and 208 RBIs. They have hit 78 two-baggers, while walking 192 times as well as scoring 221 runs. The Cincinnati Reds have an OBP of .312 as well as a batting average of .229 so far this year. The Reds have a SLG% of .394 and they average 4.42 runs per game (14th in MLB). They have been called out on strikes on 453 occasions (6th in baseball) and have totaled 384 base hits.

The Reds have a WHIP of 1.458 and are the owners of a FIP of 5.05 as a pitching staff for the season. They have a ranking of 22nd in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 418. The Cincinnati pitching staff have given up 249 runs on the year while having a team ERA of 4.71 (233 earned runs surrendered). Their K/BB ratio sits at 7.90 (389 strikeouts against 231 bases on balls). They have allowed 68 dingers and they give up 5.03 runs per 9 innings (25th in baseball).

Cincinnati relievers have an inherited score rate of 30.7% out of 75 inherited base runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 62 times in high leverage situations and on 54 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 60 save situations, the Reds have amassed 37 holds and also 9 blown saves. They are ranked 20th in MLB with a save percentage of 59.1%, and they have dispatched 187 bullpen pitchers onto the field on the season.

The Cincinnati Reds have turned 46 double plays and have a fielding rate of .988 (10th in pro baseball). The Reds have recorded 422 assists, 22 errors and have earned a total of 1,336 putouts for the season. In 4,008 innings on the field, the Reds have accumulated a efficiency on defense of 70.9% (10th in professional baseball).

During his pro baseball career, Paddack has surrendered 628 hits while he has accumulated 559 K's in 616 innings. Paddack (32-41 career record) holds a 4.79 ERA and has surrendered 9.2 hits per 9 innings. He has allowed a total of 328 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.241 and a FIP of 4.7. He has a K/BB ratio of 4.08 and he has gone up against 2,610 opposing batters so far in his career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cincinnati (-160)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get MLB picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.