Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians May 17 Betting Preview

It will be a battle of the Buckeye state as the Cincinnati Reds (9-26) take on the Cleveland Guardians (16-17). The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

As the only team yet to hit double-digit wins, the Reds have had a really rough season, and their last game may have summed up their struggles better than anything else.

In short, the Reds pitched a no hitter yet still lost the game. Six walks doomed them as the lone run came in on a bases loaded fielder’s choice. Hunter Greene was electric over 7.1 innings, striking out nine, but he also coughed up five of the six walks.

Betting Odds

The Guardians are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -154 to win while the Reds’ moneyline sits at +130. The runline features Cincinnati +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

Cincinnati will send righty Connor Overton to the mound for the opener. In three games, the 28-year-old is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and has eight strikeouts in 17 innings.

Cleveland will counter with righty Zach Plesac. In six games, he is 1-3 with a 4.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and has 20 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. In his last start, he took a no-decision after giving up four earned runs in 6.1 innings to the White Sox.

By The Numbers

Offensively, the Guardians have had more success this season. They rank seventh in scoring averaging 4.76 runs per game (4.50 at home). The Reds rank 17th averaging 4.03 runs (2.95 on the road).

Both of these teams rank in the bottom third in terms of scoring defense. The Guardians rank 25th in runs allowed per game at 4.61 (4.08 at home). The Reds rank dead last at 5.89 (5.76 on the road).

Reds Looking For Double Digits

This has the making of what could be a really long season for Reds fans. At 9-26, they already sit 13.5 games back in the NL Central and are simply looking to get their win total to double digits at this point. One of the problems, though, is they are a disastrous 4-17 on the road this year.

Currently, the Reds are led offensively by third baseman Brandon Drury. In 104 at bats, he is hitting .250/.325/.529 with seven home runs, 22 runs batted in, and 18 runs scored.

Against Zach Plesac, outfielder Tommy Pham has had some success. He is two for three with a home run and two runs batted in over his career against the righty.

Guardians Look To Bring Home The Ohio Cup Again

Since 2015, the Cleveland Guardians have never lost the Ohio Cup, the name given to the bragging rights between the Guardians and Cincinnati Reds in their annual matchups. Granted, there were two years where it was a tie, but the last time Cincinnati won outright was 2014.

Now, with a clear advantage on paper, the Guardians hope to extend their streak for another season.

Leading the offensive charge for Cleveland is third baseman Jose Ramirez. He is currently hitting .290/.386/.581 with eight home runs, 33 runs batted in, 20 runs, and three stolen bases. He leads the team in all of those categories except runs, where he currently sits in second.

This will be the first time any Guardians player has faced Connor Overton.

Both Teams Need This Series Win

It may be just a simple two-game series in May, but this could be a big one for both franchises.

For the Reds, they simply need to save face and give their fans something to cheer about. While Reds’ fans aren’t going to forgive the transgressions of the front office with a series win, at least beating their in-state rivals would give a little joy, however brief it might be for.

On the flip side, the Guardians are trying to compete in the AL Central, meaning this is the type of series they have to have success in. In what will likely be a summer-long battle with the Twins and White Sox, they need to pick up wins against teams that are obviously inferior to them.

Still, with bragging rights on the line, you might be able to throw out records. If that is the case, this could make for a thrilling series for the state of Ohio.