Cincinnati's Tough Test: Reds vs. Dodgers Betting Preview

The Reds will host a tough Los Angeles Dodgers team at Great American Ballpark Friday at 7:10 p.m. EST. The Dodgers (94-53) hold the No. 1 spot in the wild card in the National League. The Reds (76-71) are one game out of the second wild card spot behind their divisional rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Reds come into this series having lost their last seven series including this past one against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds were able to salvage their last game of the series with a 1-0 win on Thursday. The Dodgers are coming off a series sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Odds

The Dodgers are a 1.5 point favorite with odds of -105. The Reds runline is +1.5 with odds of -115. The over/under for the game is set at 8.5 with the odds of -105 and -115 to bet the over and the under, respectively. The moneyline for the Dodgers to win is -170 and +150 for the Reds.

Pitching Matchup

Luis Castillo will take the mound for the Reds on Friday night. He has a record of 7-15 thus far with a 4.24 ERA and 171 strikeouts. Walker Buehler will look to continue his fantastic season as he goes against Castillo and the Reds in this game. He is 14-3 with an ERA of 2.32 with 189 strikeouts.

Castillo pitched seven innings in his last time out, giving up four runs on eight hits in the loss to the Cardinals. Buehler also pitched seven innings in his last appearance, giving up two runs on six hits in the win against the San Diego Padres.

Series Importance

The Reds have a lot to play for in this series as they are fighting for a playoff spot with the Padres and the Cardinals. It will be a tough series to win, but they need it more than ever. They have not won a series in a while and would give them confidence by beating a good team which is crucial going into the last couple weeks of the season.

The Dodgers are safely in the playoffs but are only one game out of first place in the National League West. Being in first would give them a much better position going into the playoffs.

Both teams need this series win and will be fighting each day for their respective battles.

Keys to a Reds Victory

The Reds will not produce many chances against this very good pitching staff. They will need to get runs home when they get their chances if they want a chance to win the game and the series.

The Reds’ pitching staff did very well in their last time out against the Pirates, giving up zero runs. They will need to bring this execution and then some in this next series to keep these games winnable for the offense. If the offense has few chances to score, the pitching needs to be near-flawless.

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