Two teams with their playoff hopes still alive will go head-to-head on the baseball diamond as the Cincinnati Reds take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Reds-Diamondbacks prediction and pick will be revealed.
Although currently third in their division behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds are still well alive in the NL playoff race. As it stands, the Reds are four games back in the division and are only a half-game back in the Wild Card race. Most recently, Cincy has won three of their last four but dropped the first game of this series to Arizona by a score of 3-2. In line for the start on the bump for the Reds will be righty Hunter Greene who is 2-5 with a 4.72 ERA.
Meanwhile, Arizona has managed to stay afloat in the playoff race after a disastrous performance since the All-Star Break. At one point, the D-Backs had gone 5-20 since the All-Star Break and saw themselves with a losing record before they reeled off 10 wins in their last 12 including five in a row. Safe to say that Arizona has resurrected themselves in a big way! Projected to help his team win a sixth straight out on the mound, the Diamondbacks will turn to Brandon Pfaadt in an attempt to get him his first win of the season. So far, Pfaadt is 0-6 with a 6.13 ERA on the year.
Here are the Reds-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Reds-Diamondbacks Odds
Cincinnati Reds: +1.5 (-170)
Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+140)
Over: 9 (-102)
Under: 9 (-120)
How To Watch Reds vs. Diamondbacks
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 8:40 ET/5:40 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Reds Could Cover The Spread
It truly is quite unbelievable what a one-year difference can do for a ball club. In 2022, the Reds looked like a team that was going to be in a rebuilding phase for quite some time. By the conclusion of last summer, Cincinnati was a 100-loss team. Now, they are ready to make a run and punch their ticket to the postseason field for the first time in three years.
In order for the Reds to gain vengeance over the D-Backs after last night's shortcoming and cover the spread at the same time, they will be desperate for a solid outing from Hunter Greene. After failing to bolster the starting rotation during the trade deadline, the Reds will have to rely on Greene to pick up the pace, especially for a possible playoff run. Alas, the Reds are hopeful that the 24-year-old Greene can bounce back in a big way after getting shelled for a career-high nine runs on ten hits.
Not to mention, but Cincinnati will once again have to ride on the bats of the young bucks to get out to an early lead at Chase Field. Bettors planning on wagering upon the Reds should keep their eyes peeled for names like Spencer Steer, Jonathan India, and of course Elly De La Cruz to provide some much-needed firepower with the sticks.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
It has been an extremely up-and-down second half of the season to say the least, but the D-Backs have managed to steer the ship well. When all things seemed to be lost on the season, Arizona showed great resilience by clawing their way back to near the top of the National League. Believe it or not, Arizona is now in control of their own destiny.
The one thing that Arizona has excelled in during their recent winning ways has been receiving monumental performances from even the most unlikely of heroes. Indeed, one of the Diamondbacks' most prolific hitters within their lineup has been outfielder Tommy Pham who has been absolutely ripping the cover off of the baseball. Incredibly, Pham is 17-58 (.293) and currently has the longest hitting streak in the majors at 14 games. With his red-hot bat, it feels nearly impossible to get the 35-year-old veteran out.
Without a doubt, it always helps when your rookie starting pitcher is fresh off of his best outing in his young career. Although his 0-6 record is nothing to be pleased about, it was Brandon Pfaadt that allowed only one hit over seven shutout innings. Clearly, Arizona is keeping its fingers crossed that a lightbulb went off in Pfaadt's head that will help him pitch more effectively moving forward.
Final Reds-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
Arguably, Cincinnati and Arizona need as many wins as they can get down the stretch to solidify their standing in the playoff push with a month remaining in the regular season. All in all, the way the D-Backs have been playing on the diamond, it would be silly not to side with them until they prove otherwise.
Final Reds-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks -1.5 (+140)
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