Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Francisco Giants go for the sweep of the Cincinnati Reds today. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Reds prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Yesterday saw the Giants and Reds finish two games. First, the tarps came out in with one out in the bottom of the eighth in Monday's game. The Giants had runners at second and third when the rain delay hit. They were unable to capitalize though, and the game went to extra innings. In the tenth, Joc Pederson led off with a pinch-hit double that scored a run, and then he scored two batters later on a fielder's choice. Then a wild game with tons of runs ensued in the full evening game. Wilmer Flores hit a home run in the first inning for the Giants, but it was answered by a Jake Fraley two-run shot in the bottom of the first. The Reds added two more in the second on a Will Benson home run to take a 4-1 lead.
Flores answered back though. He hit his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to tie the game in the top of the third. Scoring resumed in the top of the fifth with hits from Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski that scored three runs and gave the Giants a 7-5 lead. Then in the bottom of the fifth, rookie Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit his first career home run, driving in Matt McClain and fellow rookie Elly De La Cruz. The lead would not last long, as Flores sacrificed into a double play that scored a run. The Giants added three more in the Top of the seventh, and Joey Votto answered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, but it was not enough as the Reds fell.
The Giants have now won seven straight games and all five coming out of the All-Star break. They are 54-41 on the season, in wild-card position, and just 1.5 games back of the Dodgers in the division. Meanwhile, the Reds have lost six straight and all five after the All-Star break. They have fallen to 50-46 on the season and are 2.5 games back of the Brewers in the division.
Here are the Giants-Reds MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Reds Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+140)
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-170)
Over: 10.5 (-110)
Under: 10.5 (-110)
How To Watch Giants vs. Reds
TV: NBCSBA/BSOH
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
As the Giants head into tonight's game, they hope they can keep the run-scoring going. Since the All-Star break, they have scored 32 runs in five games, averaging over six runs per game. On the year they are tied for 11th in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting 18th in batting average, 14th in on-base percentage, and 17th in slugging. Wilmer Flores is on fire. He hit a home run in the suspended game and then two more last night. He is now hitting .439 on the month, with four doubles. All of his run production has come in these two games, as his three home runs and six RBIs have all come in this series. Meanwhile, he scored three times last night to give him seven on the month.
One of the biggest bats in the offense this year has been Michael Conforto. Conforto leads the team in home runs with 13, and RBIs with 51. Conforto has RBIs in each of his last five games and has nine in the month. He has done this with the help of a home run and a double while hitting .279. Seven of the RBIs have come since the All-Star break. Also driving in runs has been Luis Matos. Matos has just four RBIs on the month while hitting .333, but all four have come since the break.
It will be Ross Stripling on the hill for the Giants in this one, as he comes in with an 0-2 record and 6.11 ERA. He has been a solid pitcher so far in July, going 10.1 innings over three starts and giving up just four runs. That gives him a 3.48 ERA on the month. Still, he does not have a win on the season. The Giants are just 3-5 in games he has started this year while going 3-10 in games he has appeared in this year.
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
The Reds' offense finally showed up. After scoring just five runs in four games since the All-Star break, they broke out for ten last night. It was the pitching that let them down. On the year, the pitching staff has an ERA of 4.83 which is good for 26th. They are also 26th in quality starts while sitting 26th in WHIP and 25th in opponent batting average. It will be Graham Ashcraft on the mound today for the Reds. He is 4-7 on the year with a 5.95 ERA. Like Stripling, he has been solid as of late. In his last three starts, he has done 18.2 innings while giving up just three runs, giving him an ERA under 1.50. This is a nice rebound for him, as he gave up 19 runs in just 10.2 innings in the prior three starts.
On offense the Reds are eighth in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting fifth in on-base percentage. The Reds are also 14th in batting average and sit 13th in slugging percentage this year. Jonathan India has started to turn things around as of late. He has five hits in his last 13 at bats while scoring two runs and hitting a solo home run. On the month, he has hit just .218 while driving in nine with the help of four home runs.
Jake Fraley has been the major run producer for the Reds as of late. Since the All-Star break, he has driven in four runs with the help of two home runs. That gives him just six RBIs on the month though, as he has hit just .243. Fraley has also scored six times this month and stolen four bases. The Reds also have a stellar rookie combination. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has hit .333 with a home run and three RBIs since getting the call-up for this series. Meanwhile, Elly De La Cruz has slowed down. He has just one hit in 20 at-bats since the All-Star Break.
Final Giants-Reds Prediction & Pick
Last night the Reds finally started to score, but their pitching staff was beaten down. In this game, there is not a major edge in pitching. Both guys have the ability to have an awful outing, but both have pitched well as of late. The advanced metrics do side more with Graham Ashcraft though. There should be a good amount of runs in this game, and it may be close. With that take the Reds to cover over the Giants as the pick.
Final Giants-Reds Prediction & Pick: Reds +1.5 (-170) and Over 10.5 (-110)
