The Seattle Mariners (8-8) and the Cincinnati Reds (8-8) start up their three-game series on Tuesday after taking Monday off in this Mariners vs. Reds prediction. Seattle just swept the Rangers over three games in Seattle, and the Reds swept the Pirates in Cincinnati. Seattle is planning on starting Luis Castillo (2.12 ERA) while Cincinnati goes with Nick Lodolo (0.96 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:40 EST from Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Keep reading to see our Mariners vs. Reds prediction, and check in on all of our Free MLB Picks!
Seattle Wins Five of Six
The Seattle Mariners are hot coming into this matchup in Cincinnati, with both teams having the day off on Monday. Seattle has won five of their last six games, including winning two of three at home against the Astros, and a series sweep of the Rangers. Seattle is back out on the road for this series and is 0-3 outside of Seattle as they only played one road series against the Giants that did not go well. In their last game against the Rangers, Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer in the first inning to help carry the team to victory.
Raleigh has been their best power hitter this season, and now is up to five home runs on the season. He is their catcher who has been batting third in the lineup, but he does play occasional games as the DH to give him a break from being behind the plate. Raleigh is batting .220 at the plate with eight RBIs so far. Julio Rodriguez has been taking the leadoff spot, he plays centerfield and has added another three home runs and eight RBIs. Rodriguez will want to improve his batting average if he wants to stay at the leadoff spot, as he is batting only .210 so far. Randy Arozarena is playing well after coming over from Tampa halfway through last season. He has been taking the cleanup spot and playing left field with three homers and 10 RBIs.
Luis Castillo will make his fourth start as a 32-year-old right-hander. He has a 1-1 record on the year, with the team going 1-2 overall in his three starts. He has lasted at least five innings in each start and has a strong ERA at 2.12. In his last outing, he pitched five scoreless innings against the Astros in a game they eventually lost.
Reds Sweep Division Rival
The Cincinnati Reds just took a much-needed three-game sweep over the Pirates before entering this series. They outscored Pittsburgh 14-5 in the series, and their record improved from 5-8 up to 8-8, landing them third in the NL Central. They have won five of their last six games, which also included a series win on the road against the Giants. In their last game against the Pirates, they only gave up two hits in the dominant pitching performance that gave them a 4-0 win.
Elly de la Cruz had an RBI in Sunday's game, bringing his season total up to 17 which is the best mark on the team. He has already stolen three bases after leading the majors in stolen bags last year and has added another three home runs while batting .238 on the season. He bats third in the lineup as their shortstop. De la Cruz is tied for the team lead in hits with 15, as center fielder TJ Friedl also has 15 while batting .254 from the top of the order. Friedl has one home run and six RBIs on the year. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has another two home runs, but is listed as day-to-day with a back injury. Jeimer Candelario moved from third to first last game to cover him in the field, but Candelario is only batting .132 with one home run so far.
Nick Lodolo will make his fourth start of the season as a 27-year-old left-hander. He has a 2-1 record so far, getting the decision in all of his starts. His ERA is a very strong 0.96 to start the year. In his last appearance, he pitched six scoreless innings in a win over the Giants.
Best Bets for Seattle Mariners vs. Cincinnati Reds
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
This is a battle between two of the hottest pitchers in baseball, as both Castillo and Lodolo have ERAs under 2.15 coming into this. Lodolo's is significantly lower, as it is at 0.96 through three games, and he has not allowed an earned run in either of his last two starts. Lodolo picked up two wins against the Giants, and San Francisco is strong this year, they have an 11-4 record, with two of their four coming against the hand of Lodolo. Their offenses are relatively similar, the Mariners have scored 61 runs going into this game, while the Reds have scored 62, pitching will be the difference. Another factor in what could be a tight game, the Reds have excellent baserunning as de la Cruz and Friedl are both jets on the base path. Cincinnati is at home with a three-game winning streak going, they will win again here.
Take Cincinnati to win.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
As mentioned above, these are two of the best pitchers in baseball at the moment. Lodolo has not allowed an earned run in over 12.2 innings, and Castillo is coming off a five-inning shutout against the Astros. Neither pitcher has had a bad day yet, neither has given up more than two runs in any of their three starts. The Reds' offense has not helped out Lodolo much, the last two games he started the final score ended 1-0, and his first game was a 3-2 win, meaning all three of his starts went under the total. All three of Castillo's starts have gone under the total, and these teams are both in the bottom half of the league in runs scored. This will be a low-scoring battle.
Take the under.
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