The Cintinnati Reds and Miami Marlins will begin a three-game series on Monday night at loanDepot Park. Cincinnati took two of three from the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend capped by a 3-2 win on Sunday as a -123 favorite to improve to 40-61 on the season. Miami enters at 47-55 after getting swept by the New York Mets including a 9-3 loss on Sunday as a +118 underdog.
These teams met just last week, splitting a four-game set in Cincinnati.
The Reds have played some generally decent baseball since a to a 3-22 start, and picked up a nice series win over a hot Orioles team with a narrow 3-2 victory on Sunday. Joey Votto broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth before Kyle Farmer added a sac fly later that inning, and after Baltimore fought back to tie, Brandon Drury provided the game-winner with an eighth inning solo shot.
Rookie starter Nick Lodolo turned in a nice outing, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Alexis Diaz picked up the win despite giving up a run, while Buck Farmer earned his first save of the season. Jonathan India was on base three times including a double with a run scored.
“I think Lodolo could be one of the best left-handed pitchers in this league from what I see,” Drury said of the highly-touted roookie starter via MLB.com. “I remember facing him in a live batting practice in Atlanta, like the second game of the season, and I’ve never seen a left-handed slider like that in my career.”
The Reds are still down a significant amount on the money line for the season while going 48-53 on the run line. Overs are 52-46-3 for Cincinnati, with four of its last six games going under the betting total.
This is a solidly average scoring offense at 4.41 runs per game on a .693 team OPS. It hasn't gone as well on the pitching side with the Reds, which is second-worst in baseball with a 5.12 combined ERA including a mark of 5.21 out of the struggling bullpen.
Drury, who could very well be traded by game time, is having a career year to pace the Reds offense wtih an .845 OPS, 20 homers and 59 RBI. Donovan Solano has also been effective in 29 games when healthy, batting .323/.371/.469 with 13 homers and nine runs scored.
Rookie Hunter Greene is s et to make his 20th career start, hoping to get a shaky debut campaign turned around as he's 3-12 with a 5.59 ERA and 119 strikeouts across 96.2 innings. The 22-year-old flamethrower is coming off a tough-luck loss to these Marlins last Tuesday, when he allowed two runs on nine hits and one walk across 6.1 innings, striking out six.
Injuries have been an issue for the Reds and they remain without their best player in catcher Tyler Stephenson (fractured clavicle), plus backup catcher Aramis Garcia (finger discomfort), outfielder Albert Almora Jr. (COVID) and outfielder Aristedes Aquino (strained calf). The rotation is missing Vladimir Guttierez (Tommy John surgery) and Connor Overton (stress reaction in back). Relievers Tejay Antone (Tommy John surgery), Luis Cessa (abdominal discomfort), Daneil Duarte (elbow inflammation), Jeff Hoffman (forearm tightness), Tony Santillan (strained lower back), Lucas Sims (back surgery), Art Warren (strained forearm) and Ju stin Wilson (Tommy John surgery) are all out.