Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview
On Saturday, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will play the middle game of their three-game series in Cincinnati. The Reds won the first game of the series in a wild one.
The Braves scored five runs in the first inning but could not keep the lead. The Reds scored 11 runs in the next five innings and walked away with a thrilling 11-9 win.
The win for the Reds was their 12th straight. Cincinnati is now 41-35 on the season and in first place in the National League Central. For Atlanta, their eight-game winning streak was snapped. The Braves are now 48-27 on the season.
In this one, between two of the hottest teams in baseball – the Atlanta Braves are favorites at -155. The Braves and Reds have a combined run total of 11.5 in this one.
National League East Leading Braves
The Atlanta Braves will send Jared Shuster to the mound in this game. Shuster is 4-2 on the season, with a 4.57 earned run average. The 24-year-old lefthander has struck out 23 batters but walked 22 in 41.1 innings. Shuster, in his last start, allowed five hits and a single run over 5.2 innings.
Atlanta got off to a quick start on Friday, with Austin Riley getting the scoring started with a first-inning base hit, followed by a Travis d’Arnaud three-run home run.
Atlanta is one of the top-scoring teams in all of Major League Baseball, with 5.5 runs per game. The Braves are picking up more than nine hits per game, which is 2nd in the league. Atlanta also has hit the most home runs in all of baseball.
The top home run hitter for the Braves has been Matt Olson. Olson has 23 bombs, which is one of seven guys in the Atlanta lineup with double-digit home runs. Olson, along with Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna, all hit home runs in the 8th inning of the loss.
Unbeatable Cincinnati Reds
The Reds went crazy with the long ball in the win on Friday. Jake Fraley hit the first for the Reds, his 10th of the season. Then, Elly De La Cruz hit his 3rd in the third inning. Joey Votto hit two bombs in the win.
The Reds’ offense has been hot as of late and moved into the Top 10 in runs scored, just under five per game. De La Cruz has sparked life in the offense and leads the team with a .321 batting average. In the win on Friday, De La Cruz finished the game with a cycle, the 7th in Reds team history.
The Cincinnati Reds will turn to Graham Ashcraft in this affair. The 25-year-old is coming off the IL for the first time since June 8th. Before he got hurt, he held a 3-5 record and a 6.79 earned run average. Ashcraft has struck out 50 batters and walked 30 on the season.
Back to Back Nights of Winning Streaks Snapped
The Braves are going to snap the Reds’ winning streak in this one. Do not be surprised if this game features a ton of runs again, but in the end, Atlanta will outslug the Reds.
Bet the Atlanta Braves in this game at -155 over the Reds.