Cleveland Guardians vs. Cincinnati Reds April 13 Betting Preview & Prediction

The Cleveland Guardians will take on the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of the series on Wednesday at 12:35 pm EST at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Guardians took the first series, which was a close game up to the finish until the Guardians put together a six-run barrage in the ninth inning.

The Guardians improved to 3-2 on the season, which cements them in sole possession of the second place in the AL Central, only a half a game behind the Chicago White Sox, who are in the first place.

The Reds dropped to 2-3, which puts them tied for third place, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers and one and a half games behind the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, who share first place in the NL Central.

Let’s look ahead at the upcoming afternoon matchup for the second game of the Ohio Cup this season.

Odds

Despite their big win in Cincinnati on Tuesday, the Guardians (+110) are underdogs in this matchup.

The over/under for total runs scored in the game is set at 9 with odds of -110 to bet either the over or under.

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Expected Pitching Matchup

The change in the odds is heavily due to the pitching matchup that is set up for today. It is expected that Triston McKenzie for the Guardians will take on Nick Lodolo from the Reds.

Right-hander McKenzie is 0-1 after his first outing of the season against the Kansas City Royals, where he only pitched three innings, giving up two runs on two hits with a strikeout. That brings his early-season ERA to 6.00.

Left-handed Nick Lodolo is making his major league debut in this game and has not pitched yet this season. He was called up to the team yesterday and will be a surprise starter in this matchup.

He was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and has big expectations from the Reds organization. He will have a chance to prove himself Wednesday afternoon in a crucial game for the series.

In ten starts last season in Double-A, he had an impressive ERA of 1.84 with 68 strikeouts in 44 innings. He advanced onto Triple-A, where he struggled a bit, but it was a short stint at the end of the season, only pitching 6 ⅔ innings. He pitched for the Reds in the Springs, striking out 12 and giving up three runs in 11 ⅓ innings.

Expected Outcome

This will be a tough one to decide since two youngsters will be on the mound today trying to prove themselves. The reason I’m going with the Reds is because they are down 1-0 on the series, and McKenzie was not sharp his last time out.

This game could go either way, but with two inexperienced pitchers and Great American Ballpark being a hitter’s paradise, the over could be a nice play.