Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Cincinnati Reds vs Tampa Bay Rays: Can the Reds keep on rolling?

The Cincinnati Reds are visiting the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Tropicana Field.

The Reds are finishing a solid week

The Cincinnati Reds are fourth in the NL Central with a 50-53 record, including 25-25 on the road. They have won the last three games and three of their four games in the series against the Braves got postponed. The Reds have a 3.86 ERA, a .235 batting average, a .311 on-base percentage, and 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Elly De La Cruz is the best player on the team, leading with 100 hits, 70 runs, and 18 home runs.

The Rays need to step up

The Tampa Bay Rays are fourth in the AL East with a 52-52 record and 27-28 at home. They have split the eight games following the All-Star break. Tampa Bay has a 4.18 ERA, a .242 batting average, a .308 on-base percentage, and 1.25 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Yandy Diaz leads the team with 105 hits, Randy Arozarena is on top with 45 runs, and Isaac Paredes has 16 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Nationals are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games overall and 0-5 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the NL West. Washington has played over the total run line in 5 of their last 7 games overall, in 5 of their last 6 games against San Diego, and in 6 of their last 9 home games but has gone under in all of their last 8 games played on Thursday. The Padres are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games overall, 5-0 SU in their last 5 games against the Nationals, 6-1 SU in their last 7 games on the road and 5-1 SU in their last 6 visits to DC. San Diego has played under in 4 of their last 5 games overall and has gone over in 12 of their last 15 games against teams from the NL.

Prediction and Conclusion

The series between the Reds and the Rays had a very interesting start, with Cincinnati taking a 3-2 win in the 10th inning. That was their third consecutive win, and there is no doubt that they are a much better team than the Rays. The Reds will start Andrew Abbott tonight, who is 9-6 for the season with a 3.19 ERA, 87 K, 113 IP, and 1.22 WHIP. The Rays will try to bounce back with Zack Littell, who is 3-7 for the season with a 4.46 ERA, 100 K, 107 IP, and 1.40 WHIP. The Reds have won five of the last seven games against the Rays, and given the starting pitchers and their current form, we are going with Cincinnati winning another one tonight.