Reds Welcome Atlanta For Four Game Series

Two National League, third-place teams, will square off as the Atlanta Braves (35-38, third in the N.L. East) will take on the Cincinnati Reds (36-36, third in the N.L. Central). The Reds will host this four-game series at the Great American Ballpark starting on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Braves finished a four-game series with the New York Mets that saw each side win two apiece. This has been the norm for Atlanta as they are just 5-5 in their last ten games. They will look to get back on track and try to make up ground in the division as they take on the Reds this weekend.

Coming into play Thursday, the Reds enjoyed a day off Wednesday after splitting a series with the Twins to start the week. On Tuesday, they beat Minnesota 10-7 behind 11 hits and two home runs by the offense.

Schedule

The Schedule for the four-game series at the Great American Ballpark is as follows:

• Thursday, June 24 – 7:10 pm ET
• Friday, June 25 – 7:10 pm ET
• Saturday, June 26 – 4:10 pm ET
• Sunday, June 27 - 1:10 pm ET

Pitching Matchup

Here is the pitching matchup for each game of the series:

• Thursday: TBD vs. Tony Santillan (0-1, 4.70 ERA)
• Friday: TBD vs. Vladimir Gutierrez (3-1, 3.86 ERA)
• Saturday: TBD vs. Luis Castillo (2-9, 5.83 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD vs. Tyler Mahle (7-2, 3.39 ERA)

Looking At Odds

Sitting in third in the N.L. Central, the Reds are currently +600 to win the division this year. Atlanta is +650 to win the N.L. East.

In terms of winning the World Series, the Braves have the better odds to do so at +3000. The Reds are currently +6500 to win the World Series.

By The Numbers

On the offensive side, the Reds are one of the best teams in the majors in terms of scoring. They currently rank fourth, averaging 5.01 runs per game. The Braves aren’t too bad either as they rank 10th, averaging 4.69 runs per game.

Defensively, neither of these teams are especially impressive. The Braves rank 20th, allowing opponents to score an average of 4.68 runs per game. The Reds rank 27th, allowing 5.15 runs per game.

Reds Look To Offense To Carry Team

Thus far, the Reds’ pitching staff has been a bit of a trainwreck. Not only are they one of the worst in baseball in terms of runs allowed, but their pitching staff ranks 25th in earned run average at 4.81.

With the pitching staff so poor, the Reds are lucky that they have one of the most electric offenses in the game thus far this season.

They are currently being led by outfielders Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos. Castellanos ranks third in the majors with a .340 batting average, while Winker ranks fourth at .333.

In addition to the average, Castellnos has 13 home runs, 38 runs batted in, and 48 runs scored, while Winker has a team-leading 17 home runs and 51 runs. He ranks second on the team in runs batted in with 45.

While Eugenio Suarez is hitting a disappointing .177/.253/.376, he has also supplied plenty of power with 15 home runs and 43 runs batted in.

Braves Trying To Improve On The Road

At 20-20, the Braves have not been especially fantastic playing at home, but they have been even worse on the road. To date, they are just 15-18 outside of Georgia and will need to improve on that to catch both the Mets and Nationals in their division.

Leading the offense is one of the most exciting players in baseball in outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. To date, he is hitting .285/.394/.602 with a team-leading 20 home runs, 58 runs, and 15 stolen bases. He is also tied with Ozzie Albies for most runs batted in at 45.

Speaking of Albies, he has been one of the Braves’ hottest hitters in the last week. In that span, he is hitting .286/.333/.607 with two home runs, six runs batted in, and three stolen bases.

Reds Hope To Close The Gap In The N.L. Central

Currently 36-36 overall, the Reds really would love to win this series at home and hope to cut into both the Brewers and Cubs division lead. To do so, though, they will need their pitching to help keep the Braves’ offense in check.

Luckily, the Reds may be catching Atlanta at a good time as they have struggled a little as of late. Still, the Braves have a team with postseason aspirations, and the Reds can’t take them lightly.

If their offense can continue to produce, and the pitching staff can give them a chance, this could be a successful part of the homestand for Cincinnati.