Mike Leake (2-1, 2.36 ERA) takes the hill for the Cincinnati Reds (18-18) as they square off against Ryan Vogelsong (1-2, 5.67 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (18-18) in the third of a four-game series at the Great American Ball Park. The Giants won the last game 10-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 16 and can be seen on CSN-BAY and FSN-OH.
Leake is 5-1 with a 3.83 ERA in his appearances against the Giants, and goes up against a good San Francisco offense which is batting .261 this season. Todd Frazier (.250, 25 Rs, 12 HRs, 23 RBIs, 6 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4. Vogelsong is 3-4 with a 4.52 ERA when pitching against the Reds. He is up against a below-average Cincinnati offense which is hitting just .239 this season. Brandon Crawford (.263, 15 Rs, 5 HRs, 18 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Cincinnati is a -130 favorite against San Francisco and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Reds have recorded an overall money line of +138 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 10-6. Cincinnati is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Cincinnati leads the MLB in steals, swiping 43 bases.
In games where it is the underdog, San Francisco has a 9-8 record and an overall money line of -222. San Francisco is excellent at drawing walks with 3.3 per road game, ranking fifth in the NL.
The Reds have a 14-12 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Vogelsong takes the mound. Leake (RHP) will be on the hill against the Giants, who have an 11-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, O/U – Over
Notes
The Giants are 3-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Reds are 1-3 in such matchups.
The Giants are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Reds have a 1-1 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 11-4. The Giants have a 14-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 27th, San Francisco sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 125 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the bottom half at 18th with 143.
Ranking 13th, San Francisco is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 113 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top five at fourth with 123.
When the Reds hit at least one home run, they are 16-9. When the Giants hit at least one homer, they have a 10-8 record.
