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It was a rain-soaked victory for the Baltimore Orioles in game one, and they hope to do it again today against the Cincinnati Reds. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Reds-Orioles prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Orioles called up one of their top prospects for the game as Jordan Westburg made his major league debut. Westburg had a walk and a hit, while also driving in his first RBI in the Orioles victory. Rain was a major factor in the game, as the game was delayed 15 minutes to start, and then nearly two hours in the third inning. The second delay took out the starting pitchers, but Bruce Zimmermann came in for the Orioles and pitched a solid three innings of relief. The Reds have now lost three straight games after winning 12 in a row. They have now dropped a half-game behind the Brewers in the NL Central
Here are the Reds-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Orioles Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-176)
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+146)
Over: 8.5 (-114)
Under: 8.5 (-106)
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 eighth in the majors in runs scored this year, while sitting 11th in batting average and fourth in on-base percentages. In their last 15 games, they have scored 94 runs, an average of 6.27 runs per game. Last night it was Spencer Steer helping the offense get moving. On the year, Steer leads the team in batting average among qualified batters and home runs. It was a three-hit night for Steer last night that included a home run and three RBIs. While only hitting .266 on the month, Steer has 18 RBIs and four home runs. He has also stolen seven bases this month.
A huge part of this explosion on offense has been due to Elly De La Cruz. De La Cruz scored another run last night but was held without a hit as he struck out twice. Since getting the call-up on June 6th, he is batting .315 with five doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He has scored 19 times in that time frame while driving in ten and stealing eight bases.
Rookie Matt McLain may not be getting the fanfare that De La Cruz is getting, but he is also making an impact. He too was held hitless last night, but is having a great year since making his debut in May. He is hitting .317 on the year so far. In June that is down to .290, but his slugging is great. He has six doubles, four triples, and three home runs in that time frame. He has also driven in 14 runs so far this month.
Andrew Abbott will hope to snag his fourth win of the season on the mound today. Another rookie, Abbott is 3-0 so far this year with a 1.14 ERA in four starts. He gave up the first runs of his career last time out. In six innings against the Rockies, he struck out ten and gave up three runs, all on solo home runs. It was a lot of firsts for Abbott. It was his first ten strike-out games, his first home run he has given up, the first run he has given up, and the first game he started in which he did not get the win. Still, the team did get the win, and the Reds moved to 4-0 with Abbott starting a game this year.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
The Orioles' offense shined last night once again. They are sitting tenth in the league in runs scored so far, with a 13th-ranked batting average, 13th-ranked on-base percentage, and seventh-ranked slugging percentage. The Oriole's offense has been hit-and-miss in their recent games though. Last night was the fourth time in the last 13 games they have scored eight or more runs. Last night it was Austin Hays being the big bat in the offense. He drove in three runs last night on a two-for-five performance. Hays is hitting very well this month. He has a batting average of .337 so far this month while driving in 11 runs, hitting two homes, nine doubles, and scoring 14 times.
Anthony Santander scored two runs last night, with two more hits as well. He has five home runs and 14 RBIs so far on the month and his batting average jumped to .264 for the month. What has been very impressive has been his last seven games. He has five home runs and nine RBIS in his last six games. He has raised his slugging percentage by nearly fifty points in the last week.
Adley Rutschman looks to be breaking out of his slump as well. He was on a four-game hitless streak before last night's game, but he had two hits last night while driving in two runs. It was just his fifth and sixth RBIs of the month, while he is hitting just .218. Still, Rutschman has shown he is a streaky hitter in his career. Hopefully, for the Orioles, he is starting a new hot streak.
Tyler Wells will be getting the start in this game. At 18 years old and in his third year in the majors, Wells is the chiseled veteran in this pitching match-up. He is 6-3 on the season with a 3.22 ERA. So far in June, he has pitched 23.2 innings giving up ten runs, with just eight of them earned. Those two unearned runs cost him dearly last time out. That was the difference between a no-decision and taking his first loss of the month.
Final Reds-Orioles Prediction & Pick
This game is littered with young stars. The Reds send out De La Cruz and McClain, while their pitcher is also a rookie. The Orioles have Rutschman, the 21-year-old Gunnar Henderson, and the newest addition, rookie Jordan Westburg. The Red's offense this year has averaged the fifth youngest in batting age, while the Orioles are two slots behind them at seventh. Last night was a disaster for the Reds though, and the rain delay did not help. It took out their starting pitcher, and the wet ball led to an error by Jonathan India that scored runs. The weather in Baltimore may be wet again today but should be better. Still, for as great as Abbott has been for the Reds, Wells has been just as good for the Orioles. The Orioles will keep the hot bats going and take another win in this one.
Final Reds-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Orioles -1.5 (+146)
