Johnny Cueto (2-3, 2.72 ERA) takes the hill for the Cincinnati Reds (14-14) as they square off against John Danks (1-3, 6.20 ERA) and the Chicago White Sox (10-15) in the first of a two-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 9 and can be seen on FSN-OH and WGN.
Danks pitched 2.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs (four unearned) and striking out three in a 13-3 defeat to the Twins. Jose Abreu (.278, 12 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs) went 1 for 3 Thursday. Against the White Sox, Cueto is 0-0 with a 9.64 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, and four strikeouts. Todd Frazier (.240, 21 Rs, 10 HRs, 19 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 Thursday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Cincinnati takes on Chicago as a -137 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The White Sox have recorded an overall money line of -607 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 4-10. Chicago has recorded a disappointing 1-3 record as the underdog over its last 10 games.
In games where it is the favorite, Cincinnati has a 7-5 record and an overall money line of +51. Cincinnati is 7-5 as the favorite and 14-14 SU against interleague opponents. The Reds can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking third in the league with 38 home runs. The Reds are an excellent base stealing team with 33 stolen bases, ranking second in the MLB. Moving on to Cincinnati’s pitching staff and defense, the The Reds allow just three runs per road game, ranking them fifth in the NL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Reds are the best in the NL with an average of 7.6 hits allowed per game.
The White Sox have an 8-11 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Cueto takes the mound. Danks (LHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 3-3 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Under
Notes
The Reds are 1-3 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the White Sox are 0-1 in such matchups.
The Reds are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded four strikeouts. The White Sox have a record of 2-2 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 9-4. The White Sox have a 7-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th in runs, Chicago has earned 83 this season. Cincinnati ranks 20th with 112 runs.
Ranking 29th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 60 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top half at 14th with 88.
When the White Sox hit at least one home run, they are 6-4, well-matched with the Reds who are 12-8 when hitting one or more homers.
