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The Cincinnati Reds have taken over first place and are going for the series win over the the second place Milwaukee Brewers. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Reds-Brewers prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Brewers took game one of this series pretty easily. They out-hit the Reds 14-4 en route to a 7-3 victory. Owen Miller had three hits to lead the team while William Contreras, Willy Adames and Joey Wiemer had two hits of their own. Adames and Wiemer went yard in the win and combined for five of the seven RBI. Corbin Burnes threw six innings and allowed just three hits, two runs and struck out six to earn the win. Devin Williams picked up his 19th save of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.95. Joey Votto led the Reds with two hits and three RBI, including a home run. Andrew Abbott had the worst start of his young career in this game, allowing nine hits, six runs and not making it out of the fifth to suffer the loss.
Game two saw the Reds offense come alive. They finished with 13 hits in an 8-5 win. Votto hit another home run and racked up three more RBI in the game. Will Benson had two hits with a home run, as well. Matt McLain led he team with three hits in the win. Elly De La Cruz continues to be electric as he finished with two hits and stole three bases. Cincinnati's bullpen threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings to secure the win. Alexis Diaz notched his 26th save of the season in the win. Willy Adames homered twice in the game, giving him three home runs in two games this series.
Ben Lively and Wade Miley will be the starting pitchers in the game.
Here are the Reds-Brewers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Brewers Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-194)
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+160)
Over: 9 (-122)
Under: 9 (+100)
How To Watch Reds vs. Brewers
TV: Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Wisconsin
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 2:10 PM ET/11:10 AM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
Lively is making his first start since June 20th in this game. To start the season, Lively enjoyed a very good month of May, but struggled in June. This game will all depend on which Ben Lively we are getting. You might be able to chalk up the start in June to his pectoral injury that forced him onto the IL. If that is the case, we should see a better Ben Lively in this game. If he can pitch how he was in May, the Reds will keep it close and cover the spread.
It is not clear how long Lively will go in this game. However, it is the last game before the All-Star break, so Cincinnati can use up their entire bullpen and not have to worry about who is going to throw tomorrow. The Reds bullpen is good enough to shut down Milwaukee, so do not be surprised if Lively goes five innings or less in this game. Milwaukee has a week offense, so Lucas Sims, Ian Gibault and Alexis Diaz should be able to slam the door if the game is close or they have a lead.
Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread
Milwaukee is a team that has struggled at the plate all season, but they have been much better in their last seven games. As a team, they are batting .276 with 41 run scored, eight home runs and a .819 OPS in that span. This Brewers team is feeling good at the plate, and they are going up against a guy making his return from the IL. When someone returns from the IL, you never know how sharp their stuff is going to be, or if the command will be there. Because of this, there is a real possibility for the Brewers to put up some runs in this game.
Milwaukee has won eight of Miley's 12 starts this season. He is not a strikeout pitcher by any means, but he keeps hitters off balance and induces a lot of weak contact. The Reds are a team that have the ability to get hot and have the ball jump off their bat. If Miley can just keep them off balance and guessing at the plate, the Brewers will be in good position to cover this spread.
Final Reds-Brewers Prediction & Pick
This should be a fun, offensive game to watch. I will roll with the Reds to cover the spread and maybe even win this game, though. They are playing really good baseball lately and are hard to beat.
Final Reds-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Reds +1.5 (-194), Over 9 (-122)
