Anthony DeSclafani (5-5, 3.35 ERA) and the Cincinnati Reds (35-40) go up against Phil Hughes (6-6, 4.20 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (40-36) in the second of a three-game interleague series at the Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the last game 11-7 and Cincinnati leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 30 and will air on FSN-N and FSN-OH.
In his most recent outing, DeSclafani pitched 6.0 innings, giving up one, striking out five and walking two in a 5-4 loss to the Pirates. Todd Frazier (.289, 54 Rs, 25 HRs, 54 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one RBI. The Twins were victorious over the White Sox 6-1 the last time Hughes pitched. He went 8.0 innings, allowing one run and striking out five. Brian Dozier (.266, 58 Rs, 16 HRs, 40 RBIs, 7 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and three RBIs.
Cincinnati is a small -114 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Reds perform well as a favorite with a 20-12 record, but haven’t fared as well with the overall money line (-632). They stand undefeated as the favorite with a 1-0 record, though they have a less impressive record SU (3-8) against the AL. The Reds have not played very well against the AL. Cincinnati has only averaged 3.2 runs per game compared to its 4.0 season average. The Reds rank fifth in the NL in hits at home with 8.6 per game. They have been a terror on the base paths, leading all of baseball with 81 steals.
Moving on to the away team, the Twins come into this game with a win percentage of .541 when playing as the underdog (33-28) and an overall money line of +1,240. When playing Teams in the National League, they have a 0-3 as the favorite and 7-8 SU. Against the NL, Minnesota’s offense has been struggling more than normal. Minnesota has averaged 3.3 runs per game, less than their 4.2 season average.
The only other game between the two teams went Cincinnati’s way. The Reds will take on a right-hander (Hughes) in this game and have a 25-29 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Twins will be the right-hander DeSclafani. They sport a 22-25 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Twins play into extra innings, they have a 3-2 record. The Reds are 4-6 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Twins managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Reds who are heading in with a 6-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 27-10. The Twins have a 27-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th, Cincinnati is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 306 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top half at 14th with 320.
Ranking 24th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 184 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 237.
When the Reds hit at least one home run, they are 30-20, well-matched with the Twins who are 29-15 when hitting one or more homers.
