It's clear that at some point, both the Cincinnati Reds (36-41 SU, -6.13 Units) and the Milwaukee Brewers (33-48, -13.78 Units) are going to abandon ship this year and start to trade away their veterans to give some young guys a shot.
For the Reds though, we're seeing just how thin their pitching really is on Saturday.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Yes, Cincinnati has some arms who can throw for sure. Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Anthony DeSclafani are nice pieces to the puzzle, and you just hope that Homer Bailey can come back from injuries in the near future.
But to think that this team in July can't do better than a 27-year old rookie named Joshua Smith as a starter is scary.
Smith was better in his second start than his first, but he had the same problem in each. He just couldn't get through the lineup even once without giving up runs. Giving up early runs will be death against anyone in baseball, even a team as bad as Milwaukee.
The righty has allowed a total of seven runs, five of which have been earned in eight innings of work. He has walked 10 men in that span. Clearly, live bettors need to be on the lookout for opportunities to bet against Smith before he gets pulled.
Of course, it's generally risky to be betting against Jimmy Nelson as well. Milwaukee's starter has been really good at times and really bad at times this year.
However, there is usually proof relatively early on. Nelson is generally either rocked or is rolling, and by the end of the second or third inning, if the righty looks to be relatively unscathed, he is certainly one to consider betting on in live betting.
ADVANCED STATS
It's easy to look at the Brewers and just cringe this year offensively. They're batting just .244 as a team with a slugging percentage of a mediocre .386, and they are miserable in producing runs when they have men in scoring position.
However, you have to remember that there are players on this team who are much better than what we have seen.
Ryan Braun is a .300 lifetime hitter batting just .271. Jean Segura has only tried to steal 11 bases this year after attempting 57 two years ago. Carlos Gomez was 20/20 last year and had a .833 OPS. This year, he has just a .717 OPS.
Better times are coming for Milwaukee, and the fact that the team has won five straight games coming into this series, averaging 6.6 runs per game in the process is encouraging.
TALKING BULLPENS
The main men in the Cincinnati bullpen have been lights out this year. Games are just flat out over when Aroldis Chapman gets involved, knowing that he already has 60 strikeouts in just 34.1 innings of work this season.
However, it isn't just Chapman who has been spectacular. Any of Carlos Contreras, J.J. Hoover, Manny Parra or Ryan Mattheus can be trusted.
Particularly late in games, Bryan Price isn't afraid to use Parra as a situational lefty. When called upon to just get one southpaw out, Parra has done the job nine consecutive times. It's a small sample set for sure, but his 0.84 WHIP is no joke.
It's going to be tough to see how Smith can get this game to the back of the bullpen without having to go through a long reliever first, but if Nelson struggles as well and this ends up being a high-scoring game in the first five or six innings, Cincinnati could be the team to close the door, which is notable for live bettors for sure.
The baseball betting odds for this game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers and adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in, and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds will start at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 4, 2015 at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH. The matchup will be televised regionally on FOX.
