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The Reds make the trip to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers! These two teams are headed in opposite directions with the Reds struggling to find any consistency, while the Dodgers are one of the best teams in the MLB. Our MLB odds series has our Reds-Dodgers prediction, odds, and pick for Thursday.
The Reds have been inconsistent to start the season with an 18-24 record. The Reds have struggled to get going behind the plate ranking dead last in the MLB in team batting average. Their pitching has been better but is still in the bottom half of the MLB in team ERA. Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Will Benson, Jeimer Candelario, and Jake Fraley have been standouts in a struggling offense to start the season. Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, and Graham Ashcraft have all been varying levels of good for the Reds on the mound, despite the whole staff struggling at times. The Reds need to get back on track, but this might not be the best place for that.
The Dodgers were billed as a super team before the year and they currently have a 29-15 record. They are the best offense in the MLB, and then their pitching is a top-three unit as well. On offense, there are stars galore with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Max Muncy to name a few. Their pitching is then led by Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and James Paxton on the mound. The pieces have finally started to fit together and the Dodgers are one of the best teams in the entire MLB right now and do not seem to have a lot of competition in this game.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Dodgers Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-108)
Moneyline: +235
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-130)
Moneyline: -290
Over: 8 (-115)
Under: 8 (-105)
How to Watch Reds vs. Dodgers
Time: 10:10 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports Ohio / Spectrum SportsNet
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Reds have not officially said who they are starting on the mound, but based on rotation it will most likely be Frankie Montas. He has a 2-3 record, a 4.20 ERA, and a 1.37 WHIP. Through 30 innings, he has allowed 18 runs on 29 hits with 12 walks and 24 strikeouts up to this point in the season. In his seven appearances, the Reds are 3-4 in the seven games that he's appeared so far this season. In his last start, he pitched 4.2 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in a Reds loss. Montas has been solid this season but gets a very tough matchup against the Dodgers and their all-star batting lineup. There is also an outside chance that the Reds go heavy on their bullpen in this game too and start Montas after that.
The Reds have struggled on offense this season. They are second to last in batting average at .220 and that's after they finished with a .249 batting average just one season ago. Elly De La Cruz leads the way in most batting categories next to Spencer Steer. De La Cruz leads the way in batting average at .260, in home runs at nine, and in total hits at 39. Steer then leads in RBI at 29 and in OBP at .364. They get a tough matchup against Tyler Glasnow on the mound for the Dodgers.
Why The Dodgers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Dodgers are starting Tyler Glasnow on the mound where he has a 6-1 record, a 2.53 ERA, and a 0.86 WHIP. Through 57 innings, he has allowed 16 runs on 34 hits with 15 walks and 73 strikeouts. The Dodgers are 7-2 in the nine games that he has appeared in so far this season. In his last start, he pitched seven innings and allowed one run on one hit with two walks and 10 strikeouts in a Dodgers loss. Glasnow has been playing great on the mound this season and gets a favorable matchup against a struggling Reds offense.
The Dodgers have the most talent on offense in the MLB, and they are leading the entire MLB with a .263 batting average. This is after they finished with a .257 batting average last year, but they have even more talent this season. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez lead the way in most of the important batting categories. Ohtani leads the way in batting average at .361, in home runs at 12, and in total hits at 61. Betts then leads the way in OBP at .441 and Hernandez leads in RBI at 36. This offense gets a decent matchup against Frankie Montas or the Reds bullpen if they start there in this spot.
Final Reds-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
The Reds have been struggling, while the Dodgers have been playing great baseball. These two teams are headed in opposite directions overall. Regardless of if Montas or the bullpen start, Glasnow has the advantage on the mound for the Dodgers. Then, the Dodgers have a big advantage behind the plate, compared to the Reds. Expect the Dodgers to win and cover at home in this game.
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Final Reds-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5
