Looks to be a major pitching mismatch from Cincinnati in Wednesday’s first game of the day on the MLB schedule as Houston starts co-ace Gerrit Cole against struggling Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle. The Astros are sizable favorites on the MLB Odds.
How to Bet Astros at Reds MLB Odds & TV Info
- When: Wednesday, 12:35 PM ET
- Where: Great American Ball Park
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Gerrit Cole/Tyler Mahle
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: SiriusXM
- MLB Odds: Houston Astros -190 (Total 8)
Why Bet on Houston?
Second baseman Jose Altuve (hamstring, knee) went 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and two strikeouts Monday in his latest rehab game with Triple-A Round Rock. Altuve was pulled off his rehab assignment late last month due to fatigue and soreness around his surgically-repaired right knee, but he should be back with the big-league club Wednesday as the team flew him to Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Houston loses the designated hitter for this interleague matchup in the NL park. Outfielder George Springer has been out for a month because of a strained left hamstring but should have a shot to return before the end of June. Shortstop Carlos Correa also has missed about a month with a fractured rib but also could make it back by the end of June.
Alex Bregman continues to lead all American League third basemen by a considerable margin in All-Star voting. Bregman has accrued 1,322,935 votes thus far, which is over 800,000 more votes than the next closest third baseman, Gio Urshela of the Yankees. Bregman was named to his first career All-Star team last season, where he became the first player in Astros franchise history to win the All-Star Game Ted Williams MVP Award. Springer (1,495,817), Altuve (923,117) and Correa (656,995) all continued to hold steady at second place for their respective positions.
Astros starter Gerrit Cole (6-5) struck out 10 and picked up the win in Friday’s 15-2 rout of the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks over six innings. The offense put this one away early, scoring at least two runs in each of the first four innings, but Cole never gave Toronto a chance to mount any kind of comeback. The right-hander has reeled off four straight quality starts, fanning double-digit batters in three of them, and he has a 3.67 ERA and crazy 140:22 K:BB through 90.2 innings.
Cole has double-digit strikeouts in eight of his 15 starts this year and leads the AL with 140 strikeouts. He leads the majors with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last four starts, he’s 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 25 innings.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 5.16
- Hits: 8.99
- Walks: 3.86
- Strike Outs: 6.93
- Runs: 3.81
- Hits: 7.04
- Walks: 2.72
- Strike Outs: 10.07
Why Bet on Cincinnati?
The Reds and Astros are meeting for the third time since the Astros joined the American League. This series is Houston’s first visit to Great American Ball Park as an AL team and their first series here since September 2012. In the previous two interleague series, both at Minute Maid Park, the Reds went 3-0 in September 2013 and 1-2 in June 2016. The Reds haven’t had a winning record vs the American League since 2013 (11-9). In six seasons since, they are 37-72 vs the AL, including a 10-game losing streak snapped earlier this season.
Reds manager David Bell expressed confidence in Raisel Iglesias after pulling him in favor of Michael Lorenzen to close Monday’s game against the Astros. Iglesias entered with a chance at a five-out save. He worked around a walk and a wild pitch in the eighth inning, but he walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth. Iglesias bounced back to get Alex Bregman to pop up, but Bell turned to Lorenzen from there. Iglesias is still the team’s closer, even if he’s not being treated as a traditional one.
“We’re just trying to do whatever we can to give us our best chance to win. Raisel’s done it before, he’s going to do it again. He’s a great pitcher. He’s going to be ready next time,” said Bell.
The Reds’ Tyler Mahle (2-7) took the loss Friday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings while striking out four as the Reds fell 7-1 to the Rangers. It was the right-hander’s shortest outing of the year — Mahle had lasted at least five innings in each of his first dozen appearances. He’ll carry a 4.46 ERA and 73:17 K:BB through 70.2 innings into this outing. Mahle voiced irritation with Manager David Bell about being lifted after just those 4 1/3 innings.
“I haven’t really got the chance to battle through a game, battle through six innings or whatever,” Mahle said. “Like (tonight), especially after the last game when I get pulled at 77 pitches. This game, I know I had 90-something, but in my opinion, I deserve to at least get out of the fifth or get through five or see where that next batter ends up. I get a pop-up and I am one ground ball away. And I get taken out of the game. So, it’s getting pretty ridiculous at this point, but I just got to keep going.”
Bell said the issue is over and respected Mahle’s competitiveness and desire to stay in games.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.27
- Hits: 7.76
- Walks: 3.08
- Strike Outs: 8.72
- Runs: 3.70
- Hits: 7.69
- Walks: 3.28
- Strike Outs: 9.63
Astros vs Reds MLB Betting Trends
- Astros are 6-1 in Cole’s last 7 interleague starts
- Reds are 1-8 in Mahle’s last 9 starts vs. a team with a winning record
- Astros are 13-4 SU in their last 17 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
- Reds are 5-13 SU in their last 18 games against an opponent in the American League
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati’s last 7 games at home
Expert Final Score Prediction for Astros vs Reds
Houston Astros 7 – Cincinnati Reds 3
