ODDS ANALYSIS
The Reds have been a middle of the road team all season on the field and at the betting window. Cincinnati enters its interleague series with the White Sox at 14-14 through its first 28 games up slightly on the moneyline 0.52 units. They’ve also alternated over/under plays in its last 10 games with the under going 13-12-3 for the season. The Reds haven’t been spectacular in any area and they haven’t been horrible which makes them a selective bet. With ace Johnny Cueto on the hill Saturday against a team at the bottom of the rankings in runs scored, this might be the time to make the selection.
Looking to turn a corner on their season, the White Sox took the first two of a three-game set with division leading Detroit ending a five-game losing streak, but they failed to get the sweep dropping Thursday’s finale 4-1. The Sox scored 12 runs in the first two games of that set, which was a relief to them, but their inability to score remains an issue. One of baseball’s lowest scoring teams at just better than three runs a game, the Sox are last in MLB with 14 homers and failed to go deep in 10 of 11 games entering this series. The Sox were up 1.57 units in their series with Detroit, but for the year they’re 5.96 units in the red on the moneyline and 14.03 units on the runline. Be careful with this team, especially facing one of the NL’s top pitchers.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto (2-3, 2.72 ERA) had his worst outing of the season Sunday in Atlanta allowing five runs on nine hits over six innings in a 5-0 loss. He gave up two home runs in his shortest stint of the year and has been touched for four homers in his last two starts.
Cueto has faced the Sox just once in his career giving up 10 hits and five runs on three homers in 4.2 innings of a 10-8 loss on June 20, 2009.
Carlos Rodon (0-0, 2.84 ERA), the White Sox top prospect according to MLB.com, makes his first career start after three relief appearances. He gets the call for this one game, at least for now, with Jeff Samardzija serving his five-game suspension.
Rodon pitched a season-high three innings at Minnesota on Saturday in his last outing giving up six hits but no runs. He’s thrown four scoreless innings in his last two appearances after being touched for two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings in his MLB debut.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It should be fun. We’ll see how it goes. You’ve just got to be prepared for anything. I don’t think anything changes. Pitching is pitching no matter what role it is. You’ve got to pour it into the zone. We prepare basically the same way. It’s nothing different. I, obviously have never started at this level, but at other levels, every five days you know what your day is and you know your routine.” – White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Entering their three-game interleague series with Cincinnati, the White Sox were last in baseball with just 14 home runs through 25 games. They went nine straight games without a long ball until Melky Cabrera and Connor Gillaspie connected against Detroit on Wednesday and they were kept in the yard the next day. Needless to say it’s been a struggle. This is a team that has some power hitters but the switch hasn’t been turned on yet. Reds starter Johnny Cueto is prone to giving up the big fly with a team-high five allowed, and has been touched for four home runs in his last two starts. Look for Chicago’s Jose Abreu or Adam LaRoche to end their drought Saturday.
PROP TALK
How many of you knew Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier leads the NL in home runs? He does and he’s on his way to surpassing his career-best of 29 set last year. The average is a little below his standards, but I’m sure the team will take the trade off. He’s homered five times in eight games entering the series and hasn’t gone more than one game without a home run. Frazier hits lefties much better this season and four of his 10 homers have come against southpaws in two-thirds fewer at-bats. He’s never faced Carlos Rodon but Frazier will welcome him to the Show on Saturday.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Interleague hasn’t been good to the Reds in the past but they have a chance to start fresh with their first series this season against an AL opponent. The Reds could be hurting on offense with the likely suspension of Joey Votto, who bumped an umpire in Wednesday’s win at Pittsburgh. Votto’s .311 average and seven home runs will be missed from the middle of the lineup but the Reds are eyeing the return of Zack Cozart, who missed all three games at Pittsburgh.
It’s been a struggle all season for the White Sox to score runs and the lack of the long ball hasn’t helped. The Sox have the fewest home runs in baseball and their runs per game have suffered because of it. Their inability to score hasn’t helped the pitching staff and their overall record but the Sox do have some talented offensive players. Guys like Melky Cabrera, Adam Eaton, Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez are too good to remain stagnant at the plate for much longer. It doesn’t help facing Reds ace Johnny Cueto, who will shut down the Sox for the win.
Cincinnati 6, Chicago 3
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-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!
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 Chicago White Sox is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2015, at 7:10 p.m. ET at U.S. Cellular Field. The game will be televised live on WGN and FSN Ohio.
