The Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds meet in the Battle of Ohio with both teams looking to improve on a disappointing first half. The Tribe got the better of the Reds when the teams met in Cleveland in late May, sweeping a three-game set.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Indians put their best stretch of baseball together, winning nine of 12 games that included three straight wins over the then-AL West leading Astros. But the giddiness over that run was wiped out with back-to-back losses at home to the Athletics to close out the first half. Cleveland is near the bottom of the wagering table in the red 14.04 units through the first half, but they own a winning road record at 23-20 up 2.6 units on the moneyline. They’ll be tested against the Reds, who enter the series four games over .500 at Great American Ball Park. That record took a hit however with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Brewers where the Reds were outscored 25-5 during their last homestand.
Cleveland swept a three-game set outscoring Cincinnati 14-6 when the teams met earlier this season. Corey Kluber and Anthony DeSclafani hooked up in a pitcher’s duel with the Tribe coming away with a 2-1 win on May 23. The under is 2-0 in Kluber’s last two starts and 6-2 in his last eight turns.
PITCHING MATCHUP
It’s been a frustrating season for 2014 AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber (4-10, 3.38 ERA), who again pitched well in a losing effort last Sunday. He gave up four hits with six strikeouts over eight innings but one of the hits was a two-run homer that accounted for the only runs in the game. Kluber is 1-5 in his last eight starts despite a reasonable 3.18 ERA, but his mates have scored just 16 times in those outings.
Kluber collected one of his four wins this season against the Reds on May 23 when he tossed eight innings of one-run ball with seven Ks in a 2-1 victory. He’s won both his career starts against Cincy posting a 1.17 ERA over 15.1 innings.
Anthony DeSclafani (5-6, 3.65 ERA) missed his last scheduled start due to gluteal tightness. It was more of a precautionary measure and manager Bryan Price believes the rookie should be fully healthy with the extra rest. He’s been a solid contributor in an otherwise shaky rotation and could have better numbers except for his command issues. He’s walked 41 and has a 1.37 WHIP in 101 innings of work.
DeSclafani matched Kluber when the pair squared off on May 23, giving up just three hits and a run with six Ks but was lifted and got a no-decision. It was his only appearance against the Tribe.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“This game is about constant adjustments. I shortened up my swing and have gotten my hands in a better place which has gotten me more time to recognize pitches. I don’t worry about home runs, I don’t need to be swinging for 25 home runs in a year. What works for me is going to the opposite field and staying through the ball.” – Indians’ Jason Kipnis
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
A lot went wrong for the Indians in the first half preventing the team from living up to its preseason potential. Back in the spring Sports Illustrated plastered Corey Kluber and Michael Brantley on the cover, predicting the Tribe as its World Series winner. Over the course of the first three-plus months of the season the Indians have not met the hype. The offense has dealt with inconsistency and the lineup has gone through a series of changes. A big disappointment was the play of Michael Bourn, who hasn’t been the offensive force he was earlier in his career. Bourn struggled, was pulled out of the leadoff spot then saw his playing time against lefties decrease. The move paved the way for Jason Kipnis to take over and thrive as the new leadoff man. Kipnis enjoyed an MVP first half and was named to the AL All-Star team after hitting .323. He’s been even better at the top of the order hitting .338 with a .428 on-base percentage scoring 54 runs.
PROP TALK
Imagine how many stolen bases Billy Hamilton would have if he could get on base more often. Hamilton leads the majors with 44 steals while hitting just .220 on the year with a .269 on-base percentage. He’s been successful on his last nine steal attempts and has been caught just six times this season with one of those coming on his only try against the Indians this season. Hamilton has been working at the plate to take better advantage of his biggest asset to try and get his average closer to last year’s .250 mark. He hits .261 at home this season and has been successful on 23 of his 24 steal attempts so the Indians better be careful if the speedster gets on base.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
For whatever reason, the Indians have struggled to support Corey Kluber when he takes the hill. They should snap out of their offensive funk against Anthony DeSclafani, who has a 5.11 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in eight starts at Great American Ball Park. Kluber has regained the form that brought him the Cy Young award last season and the Reds have had just a tough time lately, scoring just two runs a game over their last 10.
Cleveland 5, Cincinnati 1
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Cleveland Indians versus the Cincinnati Reds will commence Saturday, July 18, 2015, at 7:10 p.m. ET at Great American Ball Park. The contest will be televised nationally on FS1.
