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The top two teams in the NL Central face off as the Milwaukee Brewers host the Cincinnati Reds. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Reds-Brewers prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
Today will be the ninth meeting between the Reds and Brewers since July 8th. Yesterday was the Reds' second win in the last eight tries against the Brewers. Andrew Abbot pitched great in the game, going six innings and striking out nine without giving up a run. The Reds started their scoring in the fourth inning. First, a Jonathan India single scored a run, and then Joey Votto singled to center to score a second run. Will Benson hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to extend the lead to 4-0? The Brewers attempted to come back in the bottom of the ninth. Christian Yelich hit a three-run home run, but it was not enough, as the Reds won 4-3.
The Reds are now 56-47 on the year and are a half-game back of the Brewers for first place in the NL Central. The Reds are expected to be aggressive at the trade deadline to make sure they can win the division. Meanwhile, the Brewers are 56-46 on the season and are in first in the division. They also could be making some major moves at the deadline.
Here are the Reds-Brewers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Brewers Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-184)
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+152)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch Reds vs. Brewers
TV: BSOH/BSWI
Stream: MLB.TV
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
The Red's offense did just enough to get the win yesterday. On the season they are eighth in runs scored, 15th in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, and 12th in slugging. Jake Fraley leads the team in home runs and RBIs this year. This month he is hitting just .250 though, with nine RBIS and three home runs. He is drawing walks on a fairly consistent basis as well, with seven walks. That gives him a .348 on-base percentage this month as well while scoring eight runs.
After a great stop to his career, Elly De La Cruz has been struggling this month. He is hitting just .220 on the month with three doubles and three home runs. That gives him seven RBIs for the month, while he has stolen eight bases, leading to 12 runs scored. He does have two home runs in his last three games though. One was a two-run shot against the Brewers in a 3-2 loss in the first game of this series. If he can get back into the groove in this game, the Reds can get a win.
With the home run last night, Will Benson continued his solid month. He has four on the month now, with a triple and five doubles. That has led to 12 RBIs on the month with nine runs scored. Benson is also hitting .302 on the month while drawing ten walks. Those ten walks have led to an on-base percentage of .413. Matt McLain is also hitting well. He is hitting .289 on the month, with eight RBIs and three home runs. McLain has also scored 14 times this month while stealing four bases.
Ben Lively will be on the hill today for the Reds. He is 4-5 on the season with a 3.88 ERA. He has had a solid month as well. In his three starts this month he has gone 14.1 innings while giving up five runs. That gives him a 3.14 ERA. Two of those starts are against the Brewers. In each of those he gave up just one run, but the Brewers took the win in both of them.
Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread
While the Reds' focus is on offense, the Brewers is on pitching. They are 10th in team ERA, fourth in WHIP, and third in opponent batting average. Furthermore, they are sixth in quality starts this year. The Brewers will send Freddy Peralta to the mound today with his 6-8 record and 4.72 ERA. His last time out he went five innings and gave up six runs in a loss to the Braves. Still, the last time against the Reds he went six innings and gave up just one hit. That gave the Brewers a 3-0 win over the Reds in that game.
While the Brewers' pitching is solid, the offense is not. They are tied for 24th in runs scored, 27th in batting average, 24th in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging. Christian Yelich leads the team in RBIs and batting average. Last night he had a three-run home run, and that gives him 21 RBIs on the month. He has six home runs, six doubles, and a triple on the month as well. Yelich is batting .359 on the month while also walking eight times. That gives him a .419 OBP this month as well. This has led to Yelich scoring 17 times this month. In the eight games against the Reds, he has scored six times while hitting three home runs.
William Contreras is also hitting well this month. He has a hit in all eight games against the Reds this month while hitting .365 on the month. Contreras has 12 RBIs and two home runs while scoring nine times this month as well. Newcomer to the squad, Sal Frelick, is also hitting well. He has played in four games so far this year going 5-9 with a home run and three RBIs. He has also walked four times this month, which gives him a .643 OBP. Frelick has scored a run in every game he has played this month as well.
Final Reds-Brewers Prediction & Pick
The winning margin in five of the last six games between these two squads has been just one run. That includes both games in this series. While the Brewers have won five of the last six games against the Reds, they have only won by more than a run once in that time. These two teams are evenly matched, and expect more of the same today. With that, take the Reds as the pick to cover in this one.
Final Reds-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Red +1.5 (-184)
