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It is an interleague battle as the Cincinnati Reds square off with the Baltimore Orioles. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Reds-Orioles prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Over the weekend the Reds saw their 12-game winning streak snapped. The Reds took game one of the series against the Braves before falling in two straight, both by the score of 7-6. The offense continued its torrid pace over the weekend, scoring 23 runs in three games, but the pitching once again let the Reds down. They gave up 24 runs in the three games, and as a result, they lost twice. Still, the Reds have won eight of their last ten games and sit at 41-37 on the season, leading the NL Central.
The Orioles come in after taking two of three from the Mariners. At just 5-5 in their last ten, the Orioles still sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East. Meanwhile, they still hold the second-best record in the American League and the third-best record overall. While the Reds are hoping to keep growing their lead in their division, the Orioles are hoping to fend off AL East rivals for the top wild-card spot.
Here are the Reds-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Orioles Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-164)
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+136)
Over: 9.5 (-115)
Under: 9.5 (-105)
How To Watch Reds vs. Orioles
TV: BSOH/MASN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:05 PM ET/ 4:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
The Reds' offense continues to trend in the right direction. They are ninth in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting tenth in batting average and fourth in on base percentages. In their last 14 games, they have scored 91 runs, an average of 6.5 runs per game. A huge part of this explosion on offense has been due to Elly De La Cruz. Since getting the call-up on June 6th, he is batting .333 with five doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He has scored 18 times in that time frame while driving in ten.
While the 22-year-old has been great this year, the 39-year-old Joey Votto is also showing some spark for this offense. After making his season debut on June 19th he is batting .278 with three home runs and seven RBIs. His on-base percentage has been the best part. Votto has shown great patience at the plate and has an OBP of .435 so far this season. TJ Friedl is continuing his solid year as well. He is batting .311 this season, hitting .265 this month. He has driven in seven runs this month while scoring nine times. Friedl is also getting on base a ton this month. His OBP this month is .390 as he has walked ten times in the month so far.
On the hill today will be Brandon Williamson. He is 1-0 on the year with a 5.40 ERA in seven starts. The Reds have won six of the seven games that he has started this year, and the only loss of the year was an 11-inning loss for the Reds. He has been fairly consistent as well. Williamson has given up between three and four runs in five of his seven starts this year.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
The Orioles also have a solid offense to lean on. They are sitting tenth in the league in runs scored so far, with a 14th ranked batting average, 17th-ranked on-base percentage, and seventh ranked slugging percentage. The Oriole's offense has been hit-and-miss in their recent games though. They have scored three of fewer runs in six of their last ten games. Meanwhile, they have scored six or more runs three times in the last ten as well.
Anthony Santander has been amazing recently. He has five home runs and 14 RBIs so far on the month while hitting .256 for the month. What has been very impressive has been his last six games. He has five home runs and nine RBIS in his last six games. He has raised his slugging percentage by nearly forty points in the last week. Gunnar Henderson has also been hot for a month. He is hitting .349 on the month with six home runs and 13 RBIs. Henderson has had some strike-out issues this month, striking out 16 times this month, but with his OBP at .379 on the month, that is not a major concern overall. Henderson has also stolen three bases this month.
On the hill today will be Cole Irvin. Irvin has made five starts so far this year and is 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA. Irvin has been fairly good in his last two starts. One was four innings and three runs in a loss. It was three solo home runs that got him in that game. Before that, he went 6.1 innings giving up just one run in a win. Irvin does not have a major track record this year as a starter, but his career numbers suggest a fairly average starter who will most likely give up three to four runs. If he can hold a lead early to hand over to one of the best bullpens in the league, he could get his second win of the year today.
Final Reds-Orioles Prediction & Pick
The pitching match up is not the most exciting overall, with two slightly below-average pitchers going at it. The most exciting part will be seeing two offenses, full of young and exciting players going head to head. The Red's offense this year has averaged the fifth youngest in batting age, while the Orioles are two slots behind them at seventh. The Reds have been the hotter team overall though, but they will need to score their runs early. The Orioles' bullpen has been one of the best in the majors, and if they have the lead late into the game, this will not be one in which the Reds will make a comeback. Expect the Reds to get up early though, and while this will be a tight game, the Reds will cover the spread.
Final Reds-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Reds +1.5 (-164)
