The St. Louis Cardinals host Cincinnati on Wednesday, looking to build on their 47-40 mark against the 43-44 Reds in MLB betting action at Busch Stadium.

Bronson Arroyo, with a record of 7-7 on the season, gets the ball for the Reds, while the Cardinals trot Jake Westbrook to the mound in this one. He is 7-4 so far in 2011.



View Cincinnati vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as +-130 moneyline underdogs in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 9 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Cardinals at No. 8 in the National League and the Reds at No. 5 in the National League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits St. Louis' No. 1-rated National League offense, averaging 4.7 runs per game, against a Reds defense that ranks No. 9 in the National League at 4.4 in runs allowed per game. The Cardinals have averaged 9.1 hits per game so far, more than Reds batters have averaged on the year (9 hits per game).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and St. Louis has the National League's No. 9-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Reds own the National League's No. 9 mark in runs allowed.

Last time out for Cincinnati, they were an 8-1 loser as they battled the Cardinals on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Cardinals at -128 were rewarded, while the 9 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Reds endured an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Cardinals on Tuesday, with Edinson Volquez throwing 5 1/3 innings of 7-hit ball at Busch Stadium.




Cincinnati Reds Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing St. Louis are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Arizona are 5-5
After playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

A few Reds at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Cincinnati is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis' last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis' last 9 games


Next up:
Cincinnati at Milwaukee, Thursday, July 7
St. Louis home to Arizona, Thursday, July 7