Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals (2026-07-26). Andrew Abbott vs Kyle Leahy at Busch Stadium.

Starters — Andrew Abbott enters with a 3.89 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 111 innings, with 7.3 K/9, 4.05 BB/9, and 1.3 HR/9. His last three starts were mixed: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB; 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 K, 3 BB; and 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 K, 0 BB. The form reads flat, with solid swing-and-miss ability but some walk pressure and home run risk. Kyle Leahy has a 3.59 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 95.1 innings, with 7.46 K/9, 3.12 BB/9, and 0.94 HR/9. His last three starts have been sharp: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB; 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB; and 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB. His trend is up, supported by cleaner command and better home run suppression than Abbott.

Teams — Cincinnati carries a .705 OPS and 427 runs scored, with a .229 team average. The Reds’ pitching staff has a 4.55 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games. St. Louis has a .698 OPS and 463 runs, with a .240 team average. The Cardinals have been slightly less productive by OPS but have scored more runs overall, suggesting better run conversion. Their staff owns a 4.13 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, both better than Cincinnati’s full-team marks, though the Cardinals are just 3-7 in their last 10. From a betting perspective, St. Louis shows the stronger season-long run prevention profile, while Cincinnati’s offense has the small edge in OPS despite the lower batting average.