Giants Take Care Of Reds By The Bay In Weekend Set
Reds vs Giants Odds Favor Hosts in Series
The Cincinnati Reds hope a trip to the West Coast warms up their fortunes on the baseball field when they take on the San Francisco Giants in a three-game series beginning Friday night. Cincinnati has been on the wrong side of the MLB scoreboard for over a week, losing eight in a row heading into this three-game set. The Reds vs Giants odds favor the latter at -148 on the moneyline.
The Reds’ last victory came on April 29 in San Diego, but they’ve been in a freefall ever since. Cincinnati enters Friday’s action in fourth place in the NL Central, a half-game behind the third-place Pittsburgh Pirates but just a game ahead of the last-place St. Louis Cardinals.
San Francisco is coming off a series win against the host Colorado Rockies, though it dropped the series finale on Thursday. The Giants are in fourth place in the NL West in the current MLB standings, sitting 1.5 games behind the third-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
The hosts are favored to come out on top in the series opener on Friday. Cincinnati is +125 to snap its losing skid in the opener.
If you’re betting on the run line, you can get the Reds at -175 when getting 1.5 runs. Or you can take the Giants at +145 when giving 1.5 runs. The over/under for the game has been set at 7.5 runs, with the under at -118 and the over at -102.
Friday’s contest is slated for a 10:15 p.m. ET first pitch. That will be followed by Saturday’s 7:15 p.m. ET game, followed by a 4:05 p.m. ET start for the series finale.
Reds vs Giants 
Records: Cincinnati Reds (16-21), San Francisco Giants (17-22)
Day/Time:
Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Streaming: ESPN
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Andrew Abbott (Cincinnati) vs Logan Webb (San Francisco)
Left-hander Andrew Abbott will take his shot at ending Cincinnati’s misery when he makes his eighth start of the season in the opener. Abbott is 1-4 with a 3.32 ERA, striking out 35 in 38 innings. He’s coming off a solid performance against the Baltimore Orioles last Saturday, going five innings and allowing two runs on seven hits, including two solo home runs, while striking out eight and walking none.
San Francisco will go with righty Logan Webb for the start in Friday’s contest. Webb is 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA in eight starts this season, recording 36 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. He’s struggled on the mound of late, allowing four earned runs in each of his last two starts. Against Philadelphia on Sunday, Webb went just four innings, giving up five total runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Reds vs Giants odds favor San Francisco so expect Webb to perform better than his current production.
Game 2: Nick Lodolo (Cincinnati) vs Mason Black (San Francisco)
The Reds hope for the good Nick Lodolo on Saturday versus the version they got in his last outing. The 26-year-old lefty is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA in five starts, striking out 37 in 29 innings. But against the Orioles on Sunday, he got hit for four runs on four hits, including a home run, while striking out six and walking two over five innings.
Rookie right-hander Mason Black makes his second start in the majors on Saturday as he looks to rebound from a rough debut. The 24-year-old went against the Phillies on Monday, allowing five runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings, striking out four and walking three.
Game 3: Frankie Montas (Cincinnati) vs Kyle Harrison (San Francisco)
Cincinnati will have righty Frankie Montas on the mound for the series finale, as he looks to improve his 2-3 record and 3.55 ERA. The veteran has made six starts this season, his first with the Reds. He was out for a couple of weeks after taking a line drive off his right forearm in the first innings of a start on April 21. He came back on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, going six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out seven and walking one.
Young left-hander Kyle Harrison brings a 3-1 record and 3.20 ERA to his ninth start on Sunday. The 22-year-old has recorded 40 strikeouts in 45 innings of work in his second MLB season. He was brilliant in his last outing, throwing seven shutout innings against the Rockies on Tuesday, allowing four hits while striking out two and walking two.
Runs Could Be A Problem In Series
Neither of these teams is among the favorites in the MLB odds to win the World Series category, and part of that is because of their lack of offense. Cincinnati has been better this season at the plate, ranking 16th in baseball in runs heading into this series compared to the Giants, who rank 23rd. Both are in the bottom third of the majors in home runs as well.
The youthful Reds are led by shortstop Elly De La Cruz offensively. He paces the team with a .264 batting average. De La Cruz also has seven doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 20 RBI, and 28 runs scored. He snapped out of a four-game hitless streak with a 2-for-3 day at the plate on Thursday, driving in a run and scoring once. Getting the exciting De La Cruz going is key for the Reds’ hope of getting some runs on the board in this series.
Outfielder Michael Conforto has been pacing the Giants’ offensive attack, leading the team in most major offensive categories. He’s batting .275 with seven doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 20 RBI and 19 runs scored. Conforto was hot in the three-game series against the Rockies this week, going 6-for-11 at the plate with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored, including leaving the yard in each of the last two games.
Giants Pull Out Series Victory
There is young talent on the Reds’ roster, but things just aren’t going well for the team right now. The Reds vs Giants odds show that and will continue to until Cincinnati turns things back around.
San Francisco doesn’t have an offense that will knock your socks off, but it will have enough to come out on top in the majority of the contests in this series. Put your MLB bets on the host Giants when you’re wagering on this series.
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