Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies April 9 Betting Preview

On Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies will host the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of their weekend series at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia has won the first two games of this series and will aim to complete the sweep at home in this matchup. But the Reds have shown plenty of fight in this series and will seek to salvage the final game at the expense of the defending National League champions.

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have lost three straight entering Sunday, including Saturday’s game against the Phillies. In that 3-2 loss, the Reds held a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. But they gave up three runs in that inning, allowing the Phillies to walk off with a win thanks to a game-winning single from Bryson Stott that knocked in Brandon Marsh.

That bullpen implosion in the ninth inning nullified a brilliant start from Nick Lodolo, who threw seven innings of shutout ball but got stuck with a no-decision. On Sunday, Connor Overton will look to put together a similar performance on the mound as he gets the start in search of his first win of the year. Overton struggled in his first start of the year, giving up five runs in four innings against the Chicago Cubs, and will hope for better this time around.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have improved to 3-5 on the season after taking two straight games against the Cincinnati Reds. Philadelphia had yet to play at home season before this series, and their return to the City of Brotherly Love has done them well as they look to remain unbeaten at home here. If that is going to happen, Taijuan Walker will need to deliver a strong start against the Reds.

Walker also struggled in his first season start, taking the loss in his 2023 debut against the New York Yankees. He gave up four runs in 4.1 innings of work in what ended up being an 8-1 loss for his team. Against a much less potent Reds offense, the pressure will be on Walker to perform to complete the sweep and move the Phillies closer to the .500 mark on the year.

Keys To The Game

The number one key to this game for the Reds will be the performance of their bullpen. Cincinnati should have won on Saturday, but their relief pitching gave the game away. The bullpen of the Reds has a chance to redeem itself on Sunday and will need to do precisely that to avoid a sweep.

Philadelphia’s major key to this game will be generating some offense early. While their late-inning heroics on Saturday were exciting, the Phillies must avoid that level of late-game drama here. Getting on the board before the bottom of the ninth would be a great way to accomplish that.