Two Hot Teams Clash In Cincinnati

Phillies vs. Reds, 6:40 ET

It wasn't a great day yesterday at the ole ballpark for me, but we still managed to go 1-1 with a tough loss suffered in the Braves vs. Rangers game on Sunday Night Baseball. The Braves jumped out to a nice lead in the first inning and then they allowed our runs in the fourth and that was all the scoring through five innings. The Rangers won a game anyway so it wouldn't have mattered if I played the full game instead of the first five. I still liked the play though. Sometimes it just doesn't work out. Let's try and get a sweep today as the Phillies take on the Reds. 

The Phillies are hot! They've won six straight games, but the opponents aren't exactly the top of the line in the league. They have taken six straight games from the Rockies and the White Sox. Both of those teams will finish with 100+ losses. The offense is clicking right now with at least five runs in five straight games, and seven or more runs in four straight games. Now that they are headed on the road, the question is if the offense will travel with them. They are 4-2 so far on the road, so I wouldn't be surprised if they can find the success here against the Reds. This is also the second series between the two clubs and the Reds are 2-1 so the Phillies have to be looking for a bit of revenge. They have Ranger Suarez taking the ball for them so revenge is certainly possible. He has looked like the best starter in the rotation in the early going of the season. Right now, is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. He has allowed only two earned runs this month and has gone 18 consecutive innings without allowing a run, including a seven-hit shutout in his last outing. He didn't face the Reds in the first series, but I think he should be able to keep his streak alive for a bit during this game as their hitters are just 3-for-20 against Suarez. 

The Reds are not quite as hot, but they are coming off of a sweep against the Angels. Their West Coast trip wasn't ideal for them, but coming hope and facing the West Coast opponent allowed them to get back on track. This also pushed their home record to 7-5 and put them three games above .500. They won all three of the games by at least two runs and were able to put up seven runs in two of the three games. That was a nice change of pace after scoring just two total runs in the last two games against the Mariners. They are sending out Hunter Greene to the hill in hopes of stopping this Phillies offense. Green has a 4.35 ERA, but his performances have been better than the ERA looks. He allowed just one earned run in his last outing, and just one earned run in two of the three games he's started this month. The one bad start, he allowed six earned runs in six innings, which inflated the ERA. The Phillies only have 27 at-bats against Greene, but they have 10 hits, five of them going for extra bases. 

The Phillies should be favored by more in this game and I wouldn't be surprised to see them take the game by more than one run. I'm not going to play the run line because there is no reason to risk it here when the moneyline still has value at -122. Both of the teams are pretty hot and the Reds being at home with the Phillies going on the road for the first time is a bit concerning, but I like Suarez. I also like that the Phillies have had success against Greene. I'll back the Phillies here. 

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