Subscribe
Follow Us
It is a weekend interleague series as the Cincinnati Reds face off with the Houston Astros. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Reds-Astros prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
The Reds have now won five straight games coming off of a sweep of Kansas City. That gives them eight wins in their last ten games, and are not just a game back of first place in the NL Central. With the Brewers and Pirates facing each other this weekend, this is a prime opportunity for the Reds to at least jump into second in the division if they can beat the Astros. Since the call of up Elly De La Cruz, the Reds have won seven of nine games, and he has been a key spark for them.
The Astros come in after winning two of three over the Nationals. It was not without controversy though, as a difficult call by the umpires gave the Astros a win in the second game of the series. The Astros have not been great as of late though. They have won just four of their last ten games, and when the offense has not been struggling, the pitching has. The Astros are now 39-30 on the year and find themselves 3.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West.
Here are the Reds-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Astros Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-140)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+116)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How To Watch Reds vs. Astros
TV: BSOH/ATTH
Stream: MLB.TV/ESPN+
Time:8:10 PM ET/ 5:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
The Reds offense has picked up in recent weeks and so have their offensive statistics. They are now tenth in the majors in runs scored while sitting 12th in batting average and sixth in on-base percentage. They are doing this without a lot of power, as they are 21st in slugging so far this year. Their top RBI guy on the season, Jake Fraley, is still out with a wrist injury, but he is expected to be back in the series. He is eligible to come off the IL on Sunday and is looking to rejoin the team then. In his absence, Stuart Fairchild has been doing his part in driving in runs. This month he is hitting just .200 but has driven in seven runs. He has an RBI in each of the last three games while also scoring a run in each of them as well.
Jonathan India is continuing his solid year as well. This month he is hitting just .259 but he has stolen four bases, drove in 12 runs, and hit three home runs. He has a solid series against the Royals. He had four hits in 12 at-bats, while drawing a walk, driving in four runs, and hitting a double and a home run. Spencer Steer joins this crew in driving in runs this month. He is hitting just .227 on the month but has an OBP of .364. He has driven in nine runs this month and scored six.
Andrew Abbott will take the ball on the mound today to start for the Reds. He has made two starts this year so far. In those two starts, he has pitched a combined 11.2 innings, giving up six hits and seven walks. He has also struck out ten. Abbott has done all of this while not giving up a single run. While 11.2 innings is impressive, Abbott is a long way off from the record. Brad Ziegler started his career going 39 innings without giving up a run.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros win because of pitching. They are the best in the league in terms of team ERA, while sitting 7th in WHIP, 8th in opponent batting average, and tied for second in quality starts. The starting pitching for the Astros has been great, and continues to keep them in games, even when the offense is not performing their best. JP France will be looking to keep that trend going today. He is 2-1 on the year with a 3.54 ERA. His last two starts have been solid. He has gone 13.2 combined innings while giving up just four runs. That is good for a 2.63 ERA. In his only loss of the year, he did not get steady run support. He gave up just two runs, with only one being earned, but the Astros were shut out by the Brewers.
The main man in terms of run support for the Astros this year has been Yordan Alvarez. He is tied for second in the majors with 55 RBIs and tied for eighth with 17 home runs. The Astros will be missing him though. He is now on the IL with an oblique injury and could miss up to a month. Hoping to produce in his absence will be Alex Bregman. Bregman is hitting just .220 on the month, but with nine walks he has an OBP of .339. He has driven in ten runs this month but has not had an RBI in his last four games.
While needing run support with Alvarez out, Abreu has stepped up. This month he has been hitting .302. He has three home runs and 13 RBIs on the month. He drove in nine in all of May and 11 in April, so this uptick in production is a welcome sign for the Astros.
Final Reds-Astros Prediction & Pick
Right now, it is very difficult to pick against the Reds. They have begun to dub themselves “America's team,” and for a good reason. They are fun to watch and they are winning. JP France has been a good pitcher for Astros this year, but there is nothing to suggest Andrew Abbott will not out-pitch him. With the Astros missing Alvarez, they are not going to score enough to win.
Final Reds-Astros Prediction & Pick: Reds +1.5 (-140)
