Singer Should Get The Best Of Junk And Marlins

Marlins vs. Reds, 7:10 ET

As much as we hate to admit it, sometimes you end up making bad picks. You read a game wrong, and it turns out to backfire right in your face. Other times, games turn out to be exactly the way you expect them to be, and you still suffer a loss. The latter happened to me yesterday. I took the under in a game started by Tarik Skubal and Gavin Williams. The teams went seven and a half innings without a run. Then, each scored a run, pushing the game to extra innings. In the 10th, the Tigers scored six runs. That's how I lost the under on the game. Let's avoid the bad luck here as the Marlins take on the Reds.

The Marlins are not a winning team, but they have been surprisingly competitive lately. The team is 40-48, third in the NL East. Them being in third place is surprising considering they are in the same division as the Phillies, Mets, and Braves. Each of those teams was expected to finish higher than the fish, but at this point, the Braves have struggled all year, giving the Marlins the position they currently have. Let's not go crazy and think the Marlins will make the playoffs, or that they are going to make a run at the division (they are 12 games back of the Phillies at the moment). They have been pitching better and hitting rather well this season, so there is more hope than they had at least. Today, they have Janson Junk taking the rock to try and get a win against the Reds. Junk is making his ninth appearance and fourth start of the season. Overall, he is 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He did have a great outing in his first July start, going six innings, allowing just two runs on six hits, and striking out seven hitters. Junk has only faced Jose Trevino on the Reds, allowing one hit over two at-bats. 

The Marlins are not the only team performing better than expected this season - the Reds are above .500 entering today. Even though they have dropped down to fourth in the division, the team has still played really good baseball. Their team statistics are about in line with their record, though. If you look at Cincinnati, they are around the middle of the pack for most of their offensive numbers. They have been good at home this season, currently five games above the .500 mark. Their pitching has been about the same as the hitting, somewhere in the middle of the league. However, I think that has been better than what most (including myself) would've expected. Today, they send out Brady Singer to the hill. Singer is 7-6 for the year with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Singer was good to start the season at home, but has stumbled a bit. He has made eight starts at home and only has one this season where he has allowed four earned runs. Everything else has seen him allow three or fewer earned runs. Most games have seen him get around five innings. Singer has held Marlins hitters to just four hits over 24 at-bats. 

This game has a pretty high total, which I suppose you would expect from a game at Great American Ball Park. However, I think the total is a bit too high. The Reds and Marlins offenses are probably the better aspect of both teams. I think the Reds win this game, but I think it also goes under the 9.5 total that I'm seeing. I'll play a unit on both the Reds and the under. 

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