Five straight wins at least gives the Milwaukee Brewers (33-48 SU, -13.78 Units) something to be happy about as we head towards the All-Star break. The team hosting the All-Star Game meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds (36-41 SU, -6.13 Units) just seems to be playing out the string before moves are made after the season's intermission.
ODDS ANALYSIS
To Cincy's credit, the team has played well at home this year, going 22-15 thanks to a plethora of home runs. The team has won eight of its last 10 games at home, albeit against the Phillies, Marlins and Twins, but wins are wins, even if the Reds were favored in all but one of those games.
PITCHING MATCHUP
It's never a good sign when you're making your big league debut at 27-years old, but that has been the case for Joshua Smith this year. The righty is 0-1 with a 5.62 ERA, but he’s really looked overmatched for the most part by the Mets and the Pirates in his first two outings.
This will be Smith's first start at home though, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to having the crowd on his side.
There are times this season when Jimmy Nelson has looked awesome for the Brewers. He's 5-8 thanks to some bad luck and some miserable outings though, and that 4.48 ERA doesn't lie.
To prove just how up and down Nelson has been, he faced Cincinnati twice in five days back in April. He allowed one run in eight innings in the first start and seven runs in 2.1 innings in the second.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"They're wins you kind of feel you snatched from them a little bit. These have been good wins. A lot of guys did good things. It's one of those things you feel good about winning for sure." – Brewers manager Craig Counsell on his team's recent winning ways
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Aroldis Chapman has it rolling again for the Reds. He's thrown eight straight zeroes on the board, striking out the side in four of those eight outings. He has allowed just three hits and two walks in that span, and has improved to 16-of-17 in save chances as a result.
PROP TALK
Due to the fact that the Brewers are rather irrelevant this year, you probably don't realize just how good Ryan Braun has been of late. He’s only batting .271 for the season, but has been killing the ball in recent games. Braun has reached base safely in seven straight heading into the weekend, including getting at least one extra base hit in five of those seven games. You'll want him on your side on Saturday.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
It's easy to see Nelson's path to victory in this game. A consistent start, an offense which has things rolling, and what really amounts to be nothing but a "Quad-A" pitcher on the mound would be a parlay to victory.
However, we think that Smith is going to be better in this start against Milwaukee. The fact that the Reds are going to be home underdogs against one of the worst teams in baseball is a bit ludicrous as we see it. They'll take a step closer to .500 on the Fourth of July.
Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 3
The baseball betting odds for this Saturday game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone or tablet. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The duel between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds will take place Saturday, July 4, 2015 at 7:15 p.m. ET at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, OH. Catch the action live on FOX.
