St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
STL	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	6	10	8	0
CIN	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	4	9	7	2

Michael McGreevy took the ball for St. Louis and Brady Singer started for Cincinnati at 12:40 PM ET, and this one turned into a bullpen game in a hurry. McGreevy had been the more trustworthy arm entering the day, coming off 6 shutout innings and 6 strikeouts against the Cubs, while Singer arrived off a no-decision against Miami where he allowed 3 earned runs across 6 innings. Neither line held up once the middle innings hit.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Cardinals(65-63)

LWLWW

10

-1.5+150-106o9.5+130

Reds(61-66)

WLWLL

9

+1.5-153+104u9.5-130

Best BetCardinals -108

Postgame

The Cardinals won it outright, 10-9, cashing the moneyline exactly as argued. McGreevy's edge didn't hold — Cincinnati tagged him for the go-ahead push in the 6th — but St. Louis's offense and bullpen did the heavy lifting late, which is the bull case that actually showed up. The bear about a taxed road pen was real; it just wasn't enough to flip the result.

Pregame

St. Louis has the better starter on the mound and Cincinnati's bullpen has been actively costing them games this month, blowing late leads in back-to-back series. The Cardinals also have the recent head-to-head edge in this very series. Lean St. Louis to get the win outright.

Both bullpens were already running thin before first pitch. Cincinnati is without Tony Santillan, Brandon Williamson and Graham Ashcraft, all rehabbing arms that would normally soak up middle-relief innings, and Hunter Greene is out for the year after a second Tommy John surgery. St. Louis has its own attrition with Ramon Urias and Max Rajcic both on the 60-day IL, though neither is a bullpen piece. That relief math mattered plenty once the scoring started.

Michael McGreevy

(5-9)·3.54 ERA

Aug 15 @ Cubs

W

6.0IP

0ER

6K

2BB

102P

08/20 Lineup

Brady Singer

(5-11)·4.72 ERA

Aug 15 vs Marlins

ND

6.0IP

3ER

4K

2BB

93P

08/20 Lineup

This was the finale of a 5-game set between two clubs still fighting for daylight in the standings, with the first 4 meetings split 2-2. Whatever direction the finale went was going to decide who left Cincinnati with the series in hand.

St. Louis Cardinals

(65-63)

Aug 19L@ Reds4-5

Aug 18W@ Reds3-0

Aug 17L@ Reds5-6

Aug 17W@ Reds2-1

Aug 16W@ Cubs11-4

Cincinnati Reds

(61-66)

Aug 19Wvs Cardinals5-4

Aug 18Lvs Cardinals0-3

Aug 17Wvs Cardinals6-5

Aug 17Lvs Cardinals1-2

Aug 16Lvs Marlins1-7

St. Louis jumped out early, plating a run in the 1st and 3 more in the 3rd, and it looked like McGreevy's day. Cincinnati answered with a 5-run 6th to flip the game on its head, and it stayed that way deep into the night before St. Louis put up 6 in the 9th to retake the lead. The Reds weren't done, scratching back for 4 in the bottom of the 9th, but it wasn't enough.

Cincinnati's 2 errors didn't help matters in a game decided by 1 run, and a shorthanded bullpen forced both managers into matchups they'd have preferred to avoid on a getaway afternoon. St. Louis walks away having taken the finale and the series, 3-2, while the Reds are left to search for length from a rotation and pen that have been stretched all month.

St. Louis Cardinals

(2)

• 60-Day-ILRamon Urias (3B) — Urias (elbows) has been sent to Triple-A Memphis to resume a rehab assignment, John Denton of Roundtable.io reports.08/04
• 60-Day-ILMax Rajcic (RP) — Rajcic revealed on his Instagram account Thursday that he recently underwent a right elbow UCL reconstruction.07/23

Cincinnati Reds

(6)

• 10-Day-ILSpencer Steer (1B) — Steer will have a follow-up exam on his injured right wrist this weekend, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.08/19
• 15-Day-ILTony Santillan (RP) — The Reds are expected to activate Santillan (oblique) from the 15-day injured list Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.08/19
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson (SP) — Williamson (shoulder) struck out two and allowed one earned run on five hits and no walks across 3.2 innings in a rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Louisville.08/17
• 60-Day-ILHunter Greene (SP) — Greene (elbow) will be out for 12-to-18 months after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.08/13
• 60-Day-ILBlake Dunn (CF) — The Reds transferred Dunn (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.08/06
• 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft (RP) — Ashcraft (elbow) is on a throwing program, which will have him throw from 105 feet beginning July 20 at the Reds' training facility in Arizona, MLB.com reports.07/18

It was an ugly, entertaining mess of a game between two clubs with nothing but pride on the line at this point in August — the kind of finale that reads better in the box score than it looked in the moment for either bullpen.