There does appear to be a chance of rain for Sunday's Red Sox vs. Reds game in Cincinnati, as the forecasted temperature is 76 degrees. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is set for 1:40 PM ET. Nick Lodolo is starting for the Reds, and they are favored on the money line (-164) vs. the Red Sox, who have the 3rd best record in the AL East (41-36). Boston is starting Zack Kelly.
Currently, the Reds are 5th in the NL Central, while the Red Sox are 3rd in the AL East. The over/under line for Sunday's game is at 9.5 runs, and BSOH will be televising this interleague matchup.
Boston vs. Cincinnati Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Red Sox at Reds
- Where: Great American Ball Park Cincinnati
- Date: Sunday, June 23rd
- Betting Odds CIN -164 | BOS +139 O/U 9.5
Red Sox vs Reds Last Game Recap
Boston rallied for two runs in the 8th inning in the most recent game of this Red Sox vs. Reds series. The Red Sox scored one run in the 1st inning but didn't score another run until putting up two in the top of the 8th, picking up a 4-3 win. Heading into the game, the Red Sox were favored at -117 on the money line.
Cincinnati wasted a good outing from Frankie Montas, as he gave up just two earned runs in six innings of work for the Reds. Justin Wilson took the loss. Zack Kelly got the win out of the bullpen for the Red Sox as Nick Pivetta went just 4 1/3 innings.
Offensively, the Red Sox were led by Dominic Smith and Jarren Duran, as they were the only two Boston hitters to have more than one hit. Smith, Elly De La Cruz, and Spencer Steer each homered for the Red Sox.
Red Sox Preview
Heading into today's game, the Red Sox have been playing well, winning three straight series and going 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 41-36 overall, 10 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. As the underdog, they have a 20-21 record, while as the favorite, they are 21-15.
This season, the Red Sox's games have averaged 8.7 runs, and their O/U record is 34-38. The under has hit in 85.7% of their games, and their average run margin in wins is +4.4 runs per game.
Zack Kelly is getting the start for the Red Sox today as he faces off against the Reds on the road. He has made 19 appearances this season and one start, finishing with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 1.75. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting just .117 this season off Kelly, and his WHIP is currently .94. The right-hander has been better on the road, coming in with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 0.56 compared to 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA at home. Kelly's last outing came on June 22nd, where he picked up the win out of the bullpen, going one-third of an inning and not allowing a run.
As a team, the Red Sox are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been even better on the road, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Boston comes into the game with a team batting average of .253, which is the 6th best mark in the league. The Red Sox are also one of the best power-hitting teams in the league, with their 84 home runs being the 11th most in the league.
Rafael Devers has been one of the league's top power threats this season, as his 14 homers is 11th best in the league. He is also 2nd on the team with 39 RBIs. Tyler O'Neill is right ahead of him in the team's home run race, and he has gone deep three times in his last seven games, while going 7/27 (.259) in that stretch.
Reds Preview
As the favorite, the Reds are 19-13 straight up and 41-35 against the run line this season. They have an average run margin of 3.5 in victories and are 24-13 vs. the run line on the road. However, their run line record at home is 17-22.
Overall, the Reds are 36-40 and are 7.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They have lost two straight series and their series record is 8-14-2. Heading into today's game, the under has hit in their last seven games.
Cincinnati is sending left-hander Nick Lodolo to the mound today vs. the Red Sox. He has made 11 starts this year and has a record of 8-2 with a 2.75 ERA. Lodolo has been pitching well recently, as he has picked up the win in each of his last three starts. In his most recent outing, he went seven innings, giving up just one earned run on four hits. Lodolo finished with eight strikeouts in that outing. For the season, he has a WHIP of 1.01 and opponents are batting .205 off him this year.
Over his last 10 games, Jeimer Candelario has been on fire for the Reds, hitting five home runs and driving in 11 runs while batting .378. For the season, he is batting .255 with a team-high 14 homers. Spencer Steer is also near the top of the league in RBIs, as his 45 is 14th in the MLB. Elly De La Cruz comes into the game with 13 homers and a batting average of .240.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. Their team batting average of .226 is 20th in the MLB, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of on-base percentage and slugging. Currently, the Reds have two players on hitting streaks, with Santiago Espinal and Jonathan India each having four-game streaks.
Red Sox vs. Reds Prediction: Red Sox ML +139
With the Red Sox at +139 on the money line, that is the route we recommend going for today's Red Sox vs. Reds matchup. We actually have the Red Sox coming out on top with a final score of 6-5.
Looking at today's starters, we have Nick Lodolo finishing with more strikeouts than Zack Kelly. However, Kelly is projected to finish with a better ERA, and with the Red Sox having a better payout, we would stick with Kelly as our pick to finish with more strikeouts.
