Cardinals, Reds Clash in a Battle of Playoff Fringe Contenders

Two teams with something real to play for meet at Great American Ball Park tonight at 6:40 PM ET. The Cardinals (65-62) hold a meaningful edge over the Reds (60-66), but Cincinnati has the home crowd and a compelling pitching matchup to lean on.

Matthew Liberatore is expected to take the mound for St. Louis, while Chase Burns is set to start for Cincinnati — a pairing that sets up an interesting contrast in how each team is trying to build its rotation. Neither pitcher's numbers are in the verified data, so the focus tonight shifts heavily to the offenses, and both clubs have genuine weapons worth tracking.

On the Cardinals side, Alec Burleson is the name to watch. He's hitting .289 and has driven in 92 runs — that RBI total is the kind of production that quietly carries a lineup through a long season. Jordan Walker adds a different dimension with 24 home runs, giving St. Louis legitimate power in the middle of the order. This is an offense that doesn't need to manufacture runs; it can simply hit its way out of trouble. The Reds counter with Sal Stewart, who leads Cincinnati with 26 home runs and 91 RBI — numbers that make him one of the more underrated power threats in the National League right now. Elly De La Cruz brings a different kind of energy at .259, and at a park like Great American Ball Park, any hitter with his profile can change a game in a single at-bat.

Our model doesn't have a validated read on this one, and I'm not going to manufacture conviction where there isn't any. What I will say is this: the Cardinals are the better team by record and have the RBI production to back that up, but the Reds are at home and Stewart is the kind of hitter who can single-handedly flip a game. This one is genuinely open. Catch it on MLB.TV, Reds.TV, or Cardinals.TV starting at 6:40 PM ET.