Hector Noesi (0-3, 6.75 ERA) and Jason Marquis (3-1, 5.22 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (10-15) and the Cincinnati Reds (14-14) at U.S. Cellular Field. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 8 and can be seen on FSN-OH and CSN-CHI.
Noesi pitched 4.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering five runs, striking out two and walking two in a 5-3 defeat to the Twins. Jose Abreu (.278, 12 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. When pitching against the White Sox, Marquis is 2-1 with a 9.00 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts. Todd Frazier (.240, 21 Rs, 10 HRs, 19 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Chicago is a slim -108 favorite at home against Cincinnati. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently nine runs. The White Sox have an overall money line of -607 and a record as the favorite of 6-5. Against the NL, they have a 6-5 record when they were the favorite and 10-15 SU.
In games where it is the underdog, Cincinnati has a 7-8 record and an overall money line of +151. Cincinnati is 7-8 as the underdog and 14-13 SU against teams in the AL. 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 an MLB-best 33 stolen bases. Cincinnati’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL at pitching on the road, with a 3.60 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Reds are the best in the NL with an average of 7.5 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 Marquis takes the mound. Noesi (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have an 11-10 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Under
Notes
When the Reds play into extra innings, they have a 1-3 record. The White Sox are 0-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
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.
The White Sox are 6-4 when they hit at least one home run. The Reds perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 12-8 record.
