The Dodgers send one of the best daytime pitchers in baseball to the hill in facing off against the NL Central-leading Reds.
Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
Cincinnati had its season-high seven-game win streak snapped in Saturday’s 8-5 loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The Reds lead is now 3 1/2 games in the NL Central race with the Cardinals grabbing a victory over the Giants. “You get spoiled winning,” Baker said. “When you’re winning a lot, you think you’re going to win every game even though you know you’re not.” The club is 4-4 on the West Coast this season, but is still a dismal 17-36 on the West Coast over the last five seasons, which included a 12-game losing streak at today’s venue. Cincinnati has compiled a 22-11 record since the All-Star break that gives them the second-best record in the majors over that span. The Reds have also produced a 14-2-1 mark in their last 17 series. It’s important to note the team is just 8-11 when playing winning opponents in the second half of the season (-330).
Cincinnati has turned the tide against the Cubs this season, blanking them 3-0 at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. The Reds are now 8-3 against them this season, after tallying a disappointing 5-10 mark in 2009. At 62-48, the club is a season-high 14 games over .500 after winning five of their past six games, including a 4-1 mark on this road trip. The team must remain focused over the next two games and not look ahead to a three-game series against the Cardinals starting Monday. “I can’t put too much importance on St. Louis because they’re not here yet,” manager Dusty Baker said. “You have to win games now before we get there.” The pitching staff has posted a 3.01 ERA since June 17, which is the second-best mark in the majors over that span, behind only the White Sox (2.87). Cincinnati is 20-18 in day games this season (-50) and the total is 11-22 O/U in those contests. The Reds are also 3-4 this season (-170) and 11-14 the last three years after shutting out an opponent (-140).
Cincinnati fell 7-6 in the second game of this three-game set against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, but the club has still won five of its last eight games. It’s also important to note that the Reds are 9-1-1 in their previous 11 series, including 4-0-1 in their first five series of the second half. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 1995 and haven’t finished above .500 since 2000, currently features the NL’s top lineup and best defense. “This is why I came here, for this point and purpose,” manager Dusty Baker said. All-Star first baseman Joey Votto didn’t start for a second straight game on Tuesday with a sprained wrist. Cincinnati is a dominating 30-17 against division opponents this season and the total is 21-22 O/U in those games. In 36 day games, the Reds have compiled an even 18-18 mark and the total is 10-21 O/U.
Atlanta continues to lead the NL East division, but its lead has been cut due to losing five of eight games on its current road trip. The Braves did make a couple moves at the trade deadline, picking up outfielder Rick Ankiel and relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth from Kansas City. “Ankiel’s a tremendous outfielder, a great athlete,” Chipper Jones said. “Hopefully he helps solidify things out there.” The club is still a tremendous 18-9 against the NL Central, which is their best winning percentage against any division this season. Atlanta is also 20-15 in day games this season (+380) and the total is 19-16 O/U in those contests. The team is averaging 4.0 runs per game under the sun and hitting for a combined .256 average, while opponents are scoring 3.8 and batting .236. Atlanta has gone 26-31 in August the last three years (-820).
Cincinnati is set to play the second game of this three-game series, which happens to be in the middle of playing 15 of 18 games versus NL Central opponents. The Reds are in second place in the division for the sixth straight day after spending the previous 18 days on top of the standings. “We’re trying not to scoreboard-watch too much, but it’s obvious that we do,” outfielder Jay Bruce said. Cincinnati stands at 38-27 in night games this season (+1,130) with the total being 38-24 O/U in those contests. The club also finds itself in an advantageous position, going 9-3 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this year (+750), which is consistent to the 36-29 mark its posted over the last three seasons.
Washington’s furious comeback fell short in a 8-7 road defeat to the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park, in a game that was interrupted for three hours in the middle of the fifth inning by rain. The Nationals have now dropped four straight since tonight’s starter toed the rubber. With 94 games filed away, the team’s 40 wins to date is far better than the 27 victories the team garnered at this point last season. Prop bettors need to take notice that the club has plated the first run in 15 of their last 18 contests dating back to June 28. After starting 9-7 on the road this season, the Nationals are 6-26 away in their last 32 games away from Washington, DC. The team has played just seven road games the past three years with a total of 7 or less, with six of those games taking place this season (3-3, +150).
With half the season in the books and the NL finally overcoming a 13-year old All-Star game drought, it is time to look at the updated baseball odds to win the World Series. In the “year of the pitcher” we have seen many teams getting it done with strong pitching.
With news about George Steinbrenner passing away rocking the baseball world only two days after former Yankees’ public address announcer Bob Sheppard died, it seems almost wrong to look at the business side of the sport.
