The lowly Cincinnati Reds make the long trip to the Bay Area to take on the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. These clubs played a three-game bill late last month, with the Giants taking two of three. They aren’t scheduled to play again after this slate for the rest of the regular season.
The Reds (23-46) had an atrocious start to 2022 – and things really haven’t gotten much better. They’re currently toiling through a seven-game skid that began in Arizona and carried over through Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
The struggles in MLB matchups have done them no favors in the MLB standings. Right now, they’re 15.5 games behind the Brewers for the lead in the National League Central.
San Francisco (38-31) is working through a rough patch of its own at the moment. They’ve stumbled in four of five, including the last two in a four-game visit to Atlanta. Still, the Giants aren’t that far out of first place in the NL West, as they’re 5.5 games away from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Going into this one, the San Francisco Giants are a middle-of-the-road sort of team when it comes to their body of work at the dish. They have a .239 batting average, with shortstop Thairo Estrada leading the charge by swinging for a .263 mark.
Left fielder Joc Pederson has gotten the job done in terms of home runs (16) and RBIs (38) for San Francisco. Both are team-highs.
Reds vs. Giants Odds
MLB odds point to the Giants as the favorites. San Francisco is -1.5 on the run line at +104, while the Reds are -125 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Giants are -205 and Cincy a +172 underdog. The total has been set at eight runs, with the over being -110 and the under the same at the time of this writing.
As a whole, with their MLB matchups, the Reds have pinned up a .237 team average with their lumber. That ranks 21st in the bigs and is somehow better than the division-leading Beermakers’ .232 mark.
Shortstop Kyle Farmer is swinging for a .286 individual average, while left fielder Tommy Pham has a team-best .351 on-base percentage. Farmer also paces the order with 38 runs driven in.
Third baseman Brandon Drury has 14 dingers, and only Pham is in the double-digits in that category, as well.
Matchup Information
Reds vs. Giants Betting Preview
Right-hander Graham Ashcraft will toe the rubber for the guests, having come out on the right side of half of his six starts in 2022. A 24-year-old newbie, he has a 3.51 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP for the campaign.
For a Reds crew that hasn’t had much at all to puff their chests about, Ashcraft has been a fairly bright spot. Before a loss to Milwaukee last Saturday, Cincinnati had emerged victorious from every one of his outings. He gave up a total of eight knocks and six earned runs against the Brewers but has given up two or less runs in four of his nods.
Alex Cobb – a 34-year-old who’s also spent time with Tampa Bay, Baltimore, and the Los Angeles Angels – has a 3-2 mark thus far. Last Sunday, at Pittsburgh, he could only muster four innings on the hill, conceding four hits, two long balls, and a pair of earned runs.
Cobb has allowed three earned runs or less in seven of his starts, which makes his 5.62 ERA a curious one. He’ll have a good chance to improve his statistics against Cincy.
Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants Picks and Predictions
Can Cincy snap their losing streak is the big question here. They might be able to surprise people, especially with Ashcraft throwing the ball. Not to mention, their lineup hasn’t been entirely incapable this season – less so than you’d think a team with so few wins is.
Make some money and go with the Reds to cover the spread when making your MLB picks today.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.