Jose Quintana will start for the Mets on Saturday, as they look to extend their eight-game winning streak. They are 77-64 overall and they are 2nd in the NL East. The Reds are 68-74 and Jakob Junis will be on the mound for them. Cincinnati is 4th in the NL Central.
The money line odds have the Mets at -157, while the Reds are the slight underdog at +133. Today's over/under line is 8.5 runs, and the game will be televised on SNY. First pitch from Citi Field is set for 4:10 PM ET.
Cincinnati vs. New York Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Reds at Mets
- Where: Citi Field New York
- Date: Saturday, September 7th
- Betting Odds NYM -157 | CIN +133 O/U 8.5
Reds vs Mets Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Mets vs Reds series. New York went into the matchup as -172 favorites and squeaked out a 6-4 win. Heading into the game, the Mets had lost two in a row.
Cincinnati had a two-run 4th inning to tie the game at 2-2, but the Mets responded with two runs in the 6th to take a 4-2 lead. The Reds got within one with two runs in the 7th, but the Mets added two insurance runs in the 10th.
Sean Manaea got the win for the Mets, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up four runs. He finished the game with nine strikeouts but issued two walks. As for the Reds, Fernando Cruz only went one inning and gave up two earned runs.
Reds Preview
Currently, the Reds are 4th in the NL Central with a 68-74 record, trailing the Cardinals by 3.5 games for the 3rd spot. They are 13.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. In their last 10 games, Cincinnati has a 5-5 record, and they are looking to bounce back after losing the first game of the series vs. the Mets.
As the underdog, the Reds have a 49-27 run line record, but as the favorite, they are 27-39. The average run margin in their wins is +3.8, while in losses, it's -3.2. The over/under record for Reds games this season is 67-68, and their games have averaged 8.9 runs. When the O/U line is 8.5 runs, their record is 16-12.
Cincinnati is sending right-hander Jakob Junis to the mound today vs. the Mets, and he has made two starts this year. Junis' most recent outing came out of the bullpen, where he went 3 2/3 innings and gave up one earned run. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Looking back at his last three appearances, Junis has finished with a no-decision in each outing. Opponents have hit .224 off Junis this year, and his ERA is 3.13. Junis' WHIP for the season is .98. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.65 strikeouts and just 1.17 walks.
Elly De La Cruz comes into the game as the Reds' top home run hitter this season, and he is also 2nd on the team in RBIs. De La Cruz is batting .263 for the season and has gone 5/20 with a homer over his last five games. Spencer Steer is also on a three-game hitting streak and is 13th in the league with 86 RBIs. However, he is batting just .235 for the season.
Overall, the Reds are averaging 4.5 runs per game and are 12th in the league in home runs. As a team, they are batting just .233, which is 18th in the league. Cincinnati is also looking for more production from their lineup, as they are near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Mets Preview
Heading into today's game, the Mets have won eight straight games and have an overall series record of 24-16-8. They are 8.0 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, with a 77-64 record for the season.
Against the run line, the Mets have a 32-22 record as the home favorite and are 33-23 when getting points. Their over/under record is 71-66, and the over has hit in three straight games, bringing their combined run average to 9.2 runs per game.
Jose Quintana will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win vs. the White Sox. In that start, he went 5 innings and gave up 2 runs, 1 of which was earned. Looking at his overall numbers, Quintana has made 27 starts and has a record of 7-9. His ERA for the season is 4.27, along with a WHIP of 1.32. Opposing batters are hitting .243 off Quintana this year. The left-hander has a total of nine quality starts this year and is averaging 6.94 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed 22 home runs and is averaging 3.53 walks per nine innings.
Francisco Lindor comes into today's game with a 16-game hitting streak and has been on fire of late, going 12/37 in his last nine games with three homers. For the season, he is batting .273 with 30 homers and 84 RBIs. Pete Alonso also has 31 homers this season but has struggled of late, batting just .171 in his last nine games.
As a team, the Mets are 7th in the league in scoring at 4.8 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Overall, they are 5th in the league in home runs and have the 9th best team batting average in the MLB.
Reds vs. Mets Prediction: Reds ML +133
Our pick for this Reds vs. Mets matchup is to take the Reds on the money line, with the payout sitting at +133. We have the Reds winning this one by a final score of 6-5.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Jakob Junis finishing with seven strikeouts, which is good for fourth-best among all starters today. As for Jose Quintana, we have him finishing with five strikeouts, which ranks him towards the bottom of today's starters.
Offensively, the Reds lineup is projected to have a big day, with them being one of the top teams in terms of projected home runs. As for the Mets, they rank towards the middle of the league in terms of runs scored.
Again, we like the Reds to pick up the win, and you could also look to take them on the run line if you're looking for a little more value.
