The San Francisco Giants will finish their three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday at the Great American Ballpark. It's a battle of two teams struggling to stay afloat as we share our MLB odds series and make a Giants-Reds prediction and pick.
Giants-Reds Projected Starters
Robbie Ray vs. Carson Spiers
Robbie Ray (1-1) with a 4.82 ERA
Last Start: Ray struggled in his last outing, allowing four earned runs on seven hits, striking out four, and walking three in a loss to the Oakland Athletics.
2024 Road Splits: Ray is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in one road start.
Carson Spiers (4-2) with a 0.00 ERA …
Last Start: Spiers hurled five shutout innings and allowed just one hit, striking out four and walking two in a win over the Chicago Cubs.
2024 Home Splits: Spiers has done well at home, going 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA over eight starts at the Great American Ballpark.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Reds Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+136)
Moneyline: -118
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-164)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 9.5 (-102)
Under: 9.5 (-120)
How to Watch Giants vs. Reds
Time: 12:05 PM ET/9:05 AM PT
TV: None
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Giants Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Giants have continued to stay in the race. However, they are still on the outside looking up and need to do more to give themselves a chance to sneak into the wildcard race.
Matt Chapman wants a second-half push for the playoffs. But for that to happen, he needs to step up and keep producing. So far, he is leading the Giants in hits and has been generally consistent. Heliot Ramos is a power hitter with a lot of pop. But his struggles have been documented, and sometimes he needs to shorten his swing. But the Giants are really waiting on Lamonte Wade to establish a hotter streak and come out strong. Ultimately, the Giants need more out of him at the top of the lineup. These three hitters are essential to a lineup that has struggled often this season. If any of these hitters can go on a streak, it will help the Giants.
Ray is making his third start of the season and hopes to bounce back from his last outing. Yet, there are still questions about his effectiveness and how far he can go into the game. When Ray finishes the game, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is 25th in baseball in team ERA. Camilo Daval is the closer and is 3-1 with a 4.39 ERA and 20 saves in 24 chances.
The Giants will cover the spread if they can clobber the baseball and generate some scoring chances. Then, they need some good pitching from Ray.
Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Reds had a lot of hope at the start of the season. Unfortunately, injuries extinguished that hope, and it has hindered them. The Reds hope they can still muster up something despite trailing the final wildcard spot by six games. One thing that has not been bad is Elly De La Cruz.
De La Cruz continues to amaze, leading the Reds in home runs, stolen bases, and hits. But he has not had much help as he has missed teammate Matt McLain, who has been out all season with a shoulder injury and currently has revealed a stress reaction in his ribs. Things are not looking good for him this season, and the Reds may have to shut him down for the season. Therefore, the Reds were proactive this week as they added Ty France to their roster in a trade. Spencer Steer and Jonathan India have been solid but unspectacular.
Spiers has not been able to grab a quality start in three consecutive outings. Ultimately, he has not been a good pitcher, and the struggles are beginning to mount. But if Spiers can produce some quality innings, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is fourth in baseball in team ERA. Alexis Diaz is the closer and is 1-3 with a 4.23 ERA and 21 saves in 23 chances.
The Reds will cover the spread if they can batter the baseball and take an early lead. Then, they need a good outing from Spiers and for the bullpen to protect the lead.
Final Giants-Reds Prediction & Pick
The Giants are one of the bottom 10 teams in covering the run-line record. Conversely, the Reds are a top-5 team in covering the run line. The Giants also came into Saturday with a 28-26 mark against the run line on the road, while the Reds were 26-31 against the run line at home. But in this scenario, we feel like Ray gives the Giants a leg up because it will be his third start and that should be the start where we see his best.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Giants-Reds Prediction & Pick: San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+136)
Follow Us
Subscribe