Cardinals vs. Reds prediction: Why St. Louis is favored to win Tuesday's MLB matchup [8/18/2026]

The Cincinnati Reds will take on the St. Louis Cardinals, in what is expected to be a close MLB game, at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, starting at 6:40 PM ET.

The Reds will start Andrew Abbott (6-7, 4.13 ERA), up against Kyle Leahy (9-4, 3.38 ERA) for the Cardinals.

Dimers' proven MLB model gives the Cardinals a slight edge with a 51.1% win probability over the Reds.

This article offers a complete Cardinals vs. Reds prediction, including best bets and picks.

Cardinals vs. Reds prediction: Who will win and cover?

Using trusted machine learning and data analysis, we have simulated the result of Tuesday's MLB game between the Cardinals and Reds, forming part of our MLB predictions coverage.

Our famous predictive model currently gives the Cardinals a 51.1% chance of beating the Reds.

According to our model, the Reds (+1.5) have a 61.2% chance of covering the run line, while the 8.5-run over/under has a 55.9% chance of going over,.

Cardinals vs. Reds odds [8/18/2026]

We have sourced the best MLB odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

• Run Line: Cardinals -1.5 (+145) / Reds +1.5 (-150)
• Moneyline: Cardinals -115, Reds +108

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Cardinals vs. Reds picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best available odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

• Run line: Reds +1.5 @ -150 via DraftKings
• Moneyline: Reds @ +108 via Novig
• Total: Over 8.5 @ -117 via Novig

According to our MLB best bets, the top play to make on this game is Over 8.5 total runs.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the sportsbook odds.

Cardinals vs. Reds game-day updates and essential details

Tuesday's MLB game between the Reds and Cardinals at Great American Ball Park is scheduled to commence at 6:40 PM ET.

• Who: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds
• Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026
• Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40PM PT
• Venue: Great American Ball Park

Conclusion

We predict the Cardinals, with a 51.1% win probability, will likely beat the Reds in Tuesday's MLB matchup.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.