Cincinnati Reds (62-58) vs Cleveland Guardians (57-62)
Game Info: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 at 6:40 pm (Great American Ball Park)
Graham Ashcraft (6-7) (4.95) vs Logan Allen (5-5) (3.55)
Betting Odds: Cincinnati Reds -102 / Cleveland Guardians -118 --- Over/Under: 9.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: MLB.tv Stream the MLB Game of the Day all season on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The Cleveland Guardians will play the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their series on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Guardians have not won a series in their last five tries and they are 4.5 games back of the Twins in the AL Central. The Reds have had their own issues recently as well, which has dropped them a few games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Which team can get the much needed win here?
Guardians Preview
The Cleveland Guardians are 57-62 this season and they have lost six of their last nine games. Cleveland is coming off of a series loss against the Rays, where they lost two out of three games. The Guardians have been one of the lower scoring teams in the MLB, but they did score 22 runs in their series with the Rays. The Cleveland pitching staff has a 3.80 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a .243 opponent batting average this season. The Guardians offense has scored 485 runs with a .251 batting average and a .313 on base percentage. Jose Ramirez is batting .282 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI’s for the Guardians. The projected starting pitcher for Cleveland is Logan Allen, who is 5-5 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 91.1 innings pitched this year.
Reds Preview
The Cincinnati Reds are 62-58 this season and they have lost nine of their last 12 games. Cincinnati is coming off of a series win against the Pirates, where they won two out of three games. The Reds continue to score a good amount of runs, but their pitching staff has been brutal. The Cincinnati pitching staff has a 4.80 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, and a .259 opponent batting average. The Reds offense has scored 581 runs with a .251 batting average and a .328 on base percentage this year. Spencer Steer is batting .272 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI’s for the Reds. The projected starting pitcher for Cincinnati is Graham Ashcraft, who is 6-7 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP over 120 innings pitched this season.
Cincinnati Reds Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the last five games between the Guardians and Reds.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the Reds' last eight games at Great American Ball Park.
- The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the last four games between the Guardians and Reds.
- The Reds have led after 5 innings in four of their last five games as underdogs.
- The Reds have led after 7 innings in four of their last six games as underdogs against American League opponents.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The Guardians have lost seven of their last eight games as favorites against National League opponents following a win.
- The Guardians have covered the run line each of their last six games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Guardians have trailed after 7 innings in three of their last four games as road favorites against NL Central opponents.
- The Guardians have trailed after 3 innings in four of their last six games as favorites.
- The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Guardians' last three games as road favorites against NL Central opponents.
Cincinnati Reds Player Prop Facts
- Joey Votto has hit a home run in four of his last six home appearances against the Guardians after not playing the previous day.
- Elly De La Cruz has recorded at least one RBI in six of the Reds' last seven night games against opponents that held a losing record.
- Elly De La Cruz has scored at least one run in nine of the Reds' last 10 night games against opponents that held a losing record.
- Graham Ashcraft has recorded five or more strikeouts in four of his last five appearances in night games against teams that held a losing record.
- Tyler Stephenson has recorded at least one total base in each of the Reds' last six games as underdogs against AL Central opponents.
- Tyler Stephenson has recorded at least one hit in each of the Reds' last six games as underdogs against AL Central opponents.
Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts
- Jose Ramirez has hit a home run in each of the Guardians' last three games against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
- Andres Gimenez has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last five appearances with the Guardians as favorites against NL opponents.
- Jose Ramirez has scored a run in each of the Guardians' last five games as favorites against NL Central opponents.
- Myles Straw has recorded at least one total base in each of the Guardians' last seven road games against NL opponents.
- Myles Straw has recorded at least one hit in each of the Guardians' last seven road games against NL opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cincinnati Reds ranks 28th in the league for home runs allowed this season (169).
- The Cincinnati Reds ranks 27th in the league for walks allowed this season (444).
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 2nd in the league for home runs allowed this season (120).
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 28th in the league for RBI's this season (452).
Pick
This series is huge for both of these teams, as they try to stay in the race for the postseason. Cleveland is only 26-34 on the road this year, but they do get Jose Ramirez back from suspension for this game. Cincinnati is 29-31 at home and they will have one of their hottest pitchers on the mound. The Reds are starting Graham Ashcraft, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts. The Guardians are starting Logan Allen, who has allowed 1, 2, 5, and 4 earned runs over his last four outings. I like how Ashcraft has looked recently and I am going to take the Reds to win at home.
David’s Pick Reds ML
AUTHOR: David Racey
Mitch's Take...
