Reds’ DeSclafani aims to hold down Cardinals
St. Louis’ Alex Reyes did a pretty nice job of handcuffing Oakland in his first MLB start. Now it’s time to give him a rivalry game.
The rookie sensation tackles fourth-place Cincinnati tonight, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Great American Ball Park. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives Reyes’ club odds of -130 to capture the series opener. Conversely, the host Reds represent +110 underdogs. The over/under run figure rests at 8.5.
Last Saturday, the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals’ system frequently overpowered the Athletics with his devastating velocity. Yet inefficiency limited Reyes to 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He’ll need to work ahead in the count against a Cincy lineup that averaged nearly six runs per tilt in August.
Reds skipper Bryan Price responds by deploying Anthony DeSclafani. In 15 outings since coming off the disabled list on June 10, the righty boasts an 8-2 record with a 2.96 ERA. He’s also 3-1 with a 1.04 WHIP in five career meetings with the Redbirds.
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The visitors enter the series having established a new franchise record with homers in 20 straight contests, and they’re notorious for clearing the fences in the Queen City. Look for Joey Votto (.309/.430/.524) to also run into a Reyes heater or two, making for a high-scoring series opener by the Ohio River.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: REDS +1.5