St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Game 2 Picks and Prediction for Monday, August 17, 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds meet in the second game of Monday’s doubleheader at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET. MLB.TV will provide coverage. St. Louis enters the day at 62-61 overall and 30-27 on the road, while Cincinnati is 59-63 overall and 30-32 at home. The Cardinals have also controlled the season series to this point, leading 5-3. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Before betting Monday’s MLB slate, check out our free MLB picks for more predictions and analysis from around the league.

Starting Pitchers

No probable starting pitchers were listed for Game 2 in the information available at the time of this preview, so this matchup has to be evaluated primarily through the broader team numbers, recent form and how each club has performed in this season series. That also makes the bullpen workload from Game 1 especially important, although the exact impact will not be known until the opener is completed.

Cardinals Have Held the Upper Hand in the Series

St. Louis enters Monday at 62-61 overall and has played winning baseball on the road with a 30-27 mark away from home. The Cardinals have won three of their last five games, including an 8-4 road victory over Chicago in their most recent completed contest. Their other recent victories came by scores of 7-1 and 2-0, while the losses were 3-0 and 6-5. St. Louis has therefore shown enough balance to win both lower-scoring and more offensive games.

The Cardinals are hitting .239 with a .315 on-base percentage and .380 slugging percentage. They have scored 537 runs on 984 hits while hitting 127 home runs. On the mound, St. Louis owns a 4.04 team ERA and 1.34 WHIP while allowing opponents to bat .252. The staff has recorded 935 strikeouts against 417 walks.

St. Louis also has the stronger recent history in this matchup. The Cardinals lead the season series 5-3 and have posted several convincing wins against Cincinnati, including victories by scores of 8-1, 10-3, 6-5, 5-3 and 7-0. The biggest concern in Game 2 is how much of the pitching staff must be used in the opener, but on the broader numbers St. Louis still owns advantages in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, ERA and WHIP.

Reds Need Their Power to Carry the Offense

Cincinnati begins the day at 59-63 overall and has been just below .500 at home with a 30-32 record. The Reds have won three of their last five games, although they are coming off an 8-4 loss to Miami. Their recent victories came by scores of 1-0, 9-8 and 5-4, while the other defeat was a 5-0 shutout. Cincinnati has been inconsistent offensively, alternating between strong production and games in which very little has been generated.

The Reds are batting .227 with a .307 on-base percentage and .394 slugging percentage. They have scored 501 runs on 921 hits while hitting 160 home runs. Cincinnati’s pitching staff owns a 4.50 ERA and 1.40 WHIP while holding opponents to a .247 batting average. The staff has accumulated 984 strikeouts but has also issued 502 walks.

Power remains Cincinnati’s biggest offensive advantage. The Reds have hit 33 more home runs than St. Louis and own the better slugging percentage despite trailing in batting average and on-base percentage. In a second game of a doubleheader, that power could become even more significant if either bullpen is stretched thin. The problem is that Cincinnati has generally been the weaker team in this matchup, both statistically and in the season series.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds Picks and Prediction

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals ML

St. Louis is the preferred side in Game 2. The Cardinals enter with the better overall record, better road mark and the edge in the season series. They also lead Cincinnati in team batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, ERA and WHIP. Without confirmed starting pitchers, there is more uncertainty than usual, especially because bullpen usage in the opener could change the complexion of the night game. Still, the broader profile favors St. Louis, and the Cardinals have consistently had success against Cincinnati this season.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals ML

Pick: Over 9.0

The total is more difficult to evaluate without confirmed starters, but the over is the stronger lean if the number settles around nine runs. Second games of doubleheaders can become bullpen-heavy, and Cincinnati’s 160 home runs give the Reds enough power to contribute even if they fall behind. St. Louis has also scored at least seven runs in two of its last five completed games. With the pitching setup uncertain and both teams capable of producing crooked innings, a nine-run total leaves enough room to look toward the over.

Take the Over if the total is set at 9.0.

Preview completed before game play on Sunday.