ODDS ANALYSIS
The Reds have a nice little run going, winning for the fifth time in seven games with Wednesday’s 5-2 win at Pittsburgh, up 3.59 units on the moneyline in that stretch. Cincy put some distance between themselves and Milwaukee at the bottom of the NL Central and the likelihood of them catching the top three is slim.
The Reds are still a disaster on the road at 13-23 in the red 9.32 units. Starter Johnny Cueto had his start pushed back for more rest and takes on a Mets team that lost directions to home plate. The Reds won Cueto’s last three starts totaling 17 runs in those games.
Thankfully the Mets road trip is over because it was simply a disaster. New York will go from one extreme to another opening its homestand with the Reds. The Mets lost for the seventh straight time – all on the road – with Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat at Milwaukee, falling to 10-26 away from Citi Field. Only Philadelphia has fewer road wins. The good news is the Mets have the second-most home wins in the NL with 26 and are in the black 12.71 units at Citi Field. The wins won’t come if they can’t score. The under is 8-1 in the Mets’ last nine games and cashed in three straight.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Johnny Cueto (4-4, 2.98 ERA) had his last start cut short due to rain, completing 5.1 innings and surrendering three hits and three runs with four strikeouts. Citing the need to give Cueto some additional rest, the Reds pushed their ace back to Friday after he was originally slated to start Tuesday in Pittsburgh. The team reportedly doesn’t want to endanger the health of their biggest trade commodity.
Cueto has four career starts at Citi Field going 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 24 innings.
Noah Syndergaard (2-4, 4.03 ERA) labored through a short four-inning, four-run outing in Atlanta on Saturday without a decision. Intense heat possibly factored into his command problems. He walked two and allowed six hits on 88 pitches while struggling to command his breaking pitches.
He makes his first career start against the Reds.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We’re going through a tough time. Unfortunately, every team does it. We’re disappointed where we’re at. But you know what? It’s where we are. So we’ve got to move on. We’re still in the hunt. We win five or six in a row and all of a sudden things look a lot different. We can’t get down about it. We’ve got to move forward.” – Mets’ manager Terry Collins Wednesday after his team’s seventh consecutive loss.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Prior to Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, Mets manager Terry Collins held a pregame meeting with his squad to discuss their six-game losing streak. Whatever he said and was talked about didn’t work. Instead the Mets tumbled deeper into the doldrums, dropping a seventh straight game for the first time since April 2011. Their 4-1 loss contained all the elements that have characterized this streak: adequate pitching, mental errors on defense and no offense whatsoever. At the end of it, the Mets fell below .500 for the first time since they were 2-3. Playing without their three top offensive threats, the Mets are averaging 1.3 runs on this road trip and have plated one or no runs five times in seven games. “It’s really bad and frustrating for everybody,” Bartolo Colon said.
PROP TALK
Todd Frazier is having one of those years for the Cincinnati Reds. The slugging third baseman has 23 home runs, tied for third in the majors, and is closing in on his career best of 29, which was established last season. He not only leads the team in homers and RBIs but his .289 average would represent the highest in his five-year Major League career. During a seven-game stretch that ended with a double and an RBI on Wednesday, Frazier had nine hits, five home runs, 10 RBIs and scored eight runs. He’s never faced Syndergaard but enjoys Citi Field, hitting .324 with a pair of homers in 11 career games there.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
With David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud all on the disabled list, the Mets are missing three key pieces to their offensive puzzle. And without them they’ve struggled to score runs. Facing Reds ace Johnny Cueto isn’t going to help. Cueto continues to nurse a sore elbow, but should be fine with a few extra days of rest and he’s probably anxious to face a team that averaged 1.3 runs per game during a seven-game losing streak. New York’s sparkling home record doesn’t help against one of the best in the game.
Cincinnati 4, New York 2
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at 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!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets is scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2015, at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field. The game will be televised live on FSOH and SNY.
