ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Two National League Central rivals hovering around the .500 mark will open a three-game series Monday night at Busch Stadium when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds (74-75) and Cardinals (73-77) enter the final stretch of the 2025 season with nearly identical, middling records. The series in St. Louis begins a crucial 10-game stretch to close the season for both clubs.

Cincinnati arrives after dropping three of four on the road against the Athletics, including a 7-4 loss on Sunday. Will Benson and Noelvi Marte provided the offense in the defeat, each hitting a solo home run.

The Reds have had a streaky September, sandwiching a three-game winning streak between two difficult stretches. They were swept in a three-game set in Toronto from Sep. 2-3 before rebounding to take two of three from the San Diego Padres.

St. Louis, meanwhile, is coming off a series win against the Milwaukee Brewers, taking the finale 3-2 on Sunday. The Cardinals’ bullpen was stellar in the victory, with Riley O’Brien and Jorge Alcala combining for 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief after starter Miles Mikolas allowed two runs over five innings.

The season series between these teams has been tightly contested and high-scoring. The clubs split a four-game set in Cincinnati from Aug. 29-Sept. 1, with the Reds outscoring the Cardinals 18-19 over the series. They also split a three-game series in St. Louis back in June. Overall, the Reds hold a slight 5-4 edge in the head-to-head matchup this season.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Monday’s contest is projected to be another close one, with a predicted final score of 5-4 in favor of Cincinnati. However, the same outlet’s ELO rating system gives St. Louis a narrow 50.7% probability to win. Betting markets have installed the Cardinals as a -1.5 run favorite with an over/under of 8.5 runs.

Following this series, the Reds will return home to host the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals will remain at home for a weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers before embarking on a West Coast road trip to face the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. EDT.