Friday night baseball and we will see the Cincinnati Reds take on the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. First pitch is scheduled for an 8:05 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised on locally. Current Betting Odds, according to Sportsbook.ag, have Texas listed as the favorite.
Current Odds
Cincinnati -103
Texas -107
Over/ Under: 9.5 U -120
Analysis: The Cincinnati Reds have struggled thus far on their eight-game road trip, losing four of the first five contests while being outscored 29-15. They attempt to turn things around tonight, when they begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers. Cincinnati dropped its first two games in Arizona before salvaging the series finale but scored a total of three runs while being swept in a two-game set at Oakland. Joey Votto is in the middle of the mess, going 2 for 13 in his last four games, while leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo is 1 for 15 with seven strikeouts in his last five. Brandon Phillips is scheduled to come back from the paternity list tonight. Phillips has missed the last two games, but his return doesn't necessarily mean the offense will suddenly break out considering he's 4 for 36 in his last nine contests. Johnny Cueto looks to rebound from his worst start of the season on June 21, when he was tagged for seven runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 27-year-old Dominican had surrendered three or fewer runs in each of his previous seven outings in 2013. Cueto, who never has faced the Rangers, is 9-3 in 17 career starts against American League teams.
Texas has rebounded from an ugly six-game losing streak earlier this month by winning eight of 10 games to reclaim first place in the American League West by a half-game over the Oakland Athletics. The Rangers are 7-1 in their last eight overall and completed a 5-1 road trip by winning a series at Yankee Stadium for the first time since the 2009 season. Texas is opening a nine-game homestand that will includes visits from Seattle and Houston. The Texas offense is averaging 4.8 runs and batting .310 with runners in scoring position over their 7-1 stretch. Ian Kinsler is hitting .351 with seven RBIs over his last 10 games, and Nelson Cruz is batting .325 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in that same stretch for the Rangers. Martin Perez is coming off a strong outing at St. Louis on Saturday in which he allowed two runs over seven innings en route to his second career victory and first this season. The 22-year-old Venezuelan lasted 5 1/3 frames at Arizona in his only other start this year, surrendering four runs - three earned - and nine hits in defeat. Perez posted a 5-1 record and 1.75 ERA in six starts with Triple-A Round Rock.
Pick: I will be looking to take the Under in this one. Both offenses come in struggling, as the Reds have scored just 2.9 rpg in their last 10 games, while the Rangers have put up just 3.8 rpg in their last 5 games. It won't get easier for the Offenses tonight as they will be facing a couple of solid starters. Johnny Cueto is off a very bad start at Arizona, as he allowed 7 ER's in just 4.1 innings of work, but in his 7 other starts this year he had allowed just 10 total ER's. I expect him to bounceback off that bad outing. Martin Perez is making just his third start of the year and he has been solid in his first 2, allowing just 5 ER's in 12.1 innings of work. He will be facing a Reds team that struggles vs lefties on the road, hitting just .227 and scoring 3.14 rp/9 off of them away from home. This one has the makings of a low scoring game.
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