Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies Betting Preview
National League teams will battle it out in the first of a four-game series starting Monday as the Cincinnati Reds (48-71) take on the Philadelphia Phillies (66-55). The Phillies will host this one at Citizens Bank Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm ET.
The Reds were able to win their series over the weekend as they took two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Sunday, they won the finale 9-5. Mike Minor picked up the win despite giving up five runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings of work.
Jake Fraley and Mike Moustakas homered in the victory. For Fraley, he finished the day two for two with three runs batted in, four runs scored, and three walks.
Philadelphia did not have quite as much luck over the weekend as they lost three of four to the New York Mets. The Phillies dropped Sunday’s finale 10-9. David Robertson took the loss in relief after giving up two runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Offensively, Alec Bohm had a great day going three for five with two home runs, six runs batted in, and two runs scored. The Phillies slugged 14 hits, but they ultimately came up short to their NL East rivals.
The Phillies are the overwhelming favorites playing at home Monday. They are -240 to win while the Reds’ moneyline sits at +198. The runline features Cincinnati +1.5 (-110), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Reds Look To Play Spoiler
At 48-71, the Reds sit fourth in the NL Central, 20.5 games out of first place. With the playoffs essentially out of the picture (they also sit 17.5 games back in the Wild Card), the Reds are simply playing for respect and to play spoiler at this point in the season.
Trying to take the first game from the Phillies will be 30-year-old righty Luis Cessa. In 37 games (one start), he is 3-1 with a 5.50 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and has 28 strikeouts in 37.2 innings of work.
With a bullpen game expected, the Reds will try to rely on a pitching staff that currently ranks 28th in the majors at 5.01.
Offensively, Jake Fraley has been Cincinnati’s hottest hitter as of late. In the last month, he is hitting .357/.448/.714 with a team-leading six home runs, 14 runs batted in, and 16 runs scored over that span.
Although Fraley only has one hit off of the Phillies’ Noah Syndergaard, the lone hit is a home run.
Philadelphia Battling For Wild Card Spot
While the Reds may be out of playoff contention, the Phillies are very much still in it. They sit 12 games back in the NL East, but they currently hold the third Wild Card spot, sitting 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for that last spot.
Trying to improve on their 33-29 home record, the Phillies will turn to Noah Syndergaard to try to win the opener. In 18 games this season between the Angels and Phillies, “Thor” is 7-8 with a 3.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and he has 76 strikeouts in 98 innings.
Syndergaard picked up a win in his last start against the Reds back on August 15. In that win, he allowed three runs on eight hits over seven innings while striking out six.
Despite hitting just .216/.318/.500, Kyle Schwarber has been the heart of the Phillies lineup as he has a team-leading 34 home runs, 71 runs batted in, and 75 runs scored.
Over the last month, Rhys Hoskins has also really picked it up. In his last 107 at bats, he is hitting .262/.352/.486 with seven home runs, 16 runs batted in, and 14 runs scored.
Take Philadelphia To Win And Cover
The trends really favor the Phillies in this one. They are 8-4 in their last 12 home games, and they are 6-1 in their last seven games against the NL Central.
Furthermore, they just outscored the Reds 15-8 while taking two of three last week in Cincinnati. Now returning to Citizens Bank Park, those numbers could only improve.
On the flip side, the Reds are 1-6 in their last seven against the NL East, and they are 4-8 in their last 12 overall.
Especially with a bullpen game on tap, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this one get ugly pretty quickly. Expect Philadelphia to both win and cover the -1.5 runline (-110) as well.
