Brandon Finnegan (1-2, 4.40 ERA) and Mike Clevinger (0-0, 0.00 ERA) start in the first of a two-game series between the Cincinnati Reds (15-24) and the Cleveland Indians (19-17) at the Great American Ball Park. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 18 and can be seen on STOh and FSOH.
Finnegan pitched 4.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out four and walking five in a 3-2 defeat to the Phillies. Jay Bruce (.276, 19 Rs, 6 HRs, 25 RBIs, 2 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3. This is the first time Clevinger will take the hill this season. Mike Napoli (.252, 23 Rs, 7 HRs, 26 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Indians, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
The odds for Cincinnati and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. In interleague play, the Reds have a 16-12 record SU. The Reds have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Cincinnati’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0.
Cleveland is 15-22 SU against teams in the NL. Offensively, the Indians have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Indians allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Indians are second in the AL on the road with an average of 6.6 hits allowed per away game.
The Indians have the edge in the season series, 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE
Notes
Cincinnati has won 37% (7-12) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Cleveland has won 57% (8-6) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Indians are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 13 runs. The Reds have a 0-5 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Reds are 4-19. The Indians have a 3-9 record when opponents outhit them.
Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league at 27th when it comes to home runs, hitting 33 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the bottom half with 40.
Ranking 29th, Cincinnati is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.67 per game. Cleveland ranks in the top 10 with 8.92.
Ranking 23rd, Cincinnati is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.696). Cleveland ranks in the bottom half at 18th with an OPS of .729.
When the Indians allow at least one home run, they are 11-13. When the Reds allow one or more homers, they have an 11-21 record.
