Friday MLB preview: Cardinals at Reds, Royals at Indians

St. Louis Cardinals (49-46) at Cincinnati Reds (43-51), 7:10 p.m. ET

Adam Wainwright (6-7, 3.99 ERA) (STL) -105 / +1.5 runs (-200) / Over 10 runs (-105) Tyler Mahle (2-10, 4.82 ERA) (CIN) -105 / -1.5 runs (+165) / Under 10 runs (-115)

MLB free play: Over

Reds fans should brace for another high-scoring home game, as the Cardinals visit Great American Ball Park on Friday night.

Adam Wainwright has a 6.20 ERA in eight starts away from Busch Stadium this season, while allowing the opposition to bat .280. Wainwright's ERA in his last four starts in Cincinnati is 8.15. Look for first baseman Joey Votto (15-for-49, three home runs against Wainwright) to lead the way on offense for the Reds, as usual.

Tyler Mahle has had a rough go of it lately, even if one excludes his six-run disaster of an outing at Coors Field on July 14. The California-born righty has a 5.66 ERA in his previous eight starts. Catcher Yadier Molina and outfielders Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna have combined to go 12-for-23 against Mahle with two homers and nine RBIs.

Both bullpens have struggled in the last two weeks. The Cardinals are 12th by ERA, while the Reds are 29th in that span.

Kansas City Royals (36-62) at Cleveland Indians (55-40), 7:10 p.m. ET

Mike Montgomery (1-2, 5.67 ERA) (KC) +220 / +1.5 runs (+115) / Over 10 runs (-105) Shane Bieber (8-3, 3.49 ERA) (CLE) -280 / -1.5 runs (-135) / Under 10 runs (-115)

MLB free play: Over

As the weather has heated up in July, so have the offenses of the Indians and Royals. Cleveland is third in batting average this month (.299), while Kansas City is sixth (.284). Over bettors will want to make a play in this one.

The Tribe's two hottest hitters in July have been outfielder Tyler Naquin (.417, two homers, and seven RBIs in his last seven games,) and third baseman Jose Ramirez (.393, two homers, and eight RBIs in his last seven games,). They draw a soft matchup with stretched-out relief arm Mike Montgomery, who has a 6.23 ERA since June 2 (nine appearances).

The Royals' lineup suddenly looks scary, as players other than second baseman Whit Merrifield are getting hits on a regular basis. Infielders Cheslor Cuthbert and Hunter Dozier are both batting over .340 in their last seven games and have combined for three home runs. Outfielder Alex Gordon is hitting .375 in the same span, while Jorge Soler is at .360 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Indians starter Shane Bieber, who has a 5.40 ERA in his last three starts against Kansas City, could be sent packing early.