The Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds are set to play the middle game of a three-game series on Saturday. The Cincinnati Reds won the first game of the series 1-0 on Friday with a run in the bottom of the 9th inning.
The win for the Reds pushed them to 64-59 on the season, while the loss for Toronto dropped them to 67-56. Cincinnati is two games out of first place in the National League Central but currently holds the third and final National League Wildcard spot.
For the Toronto Blue Jays, they are in a tie with Seattle for the final wildcard out of the American League. Toronto is eight games back of Baltimore in the American League East.
The Toronto Blue Jays come into this game as the favorite. The Blue Jays are -148 on the road at Cincinnati. The Reds come into the game at +124. The total for the game on Saturday is ten runs.
Reds Seeking Third Straight
The Cincinnati Reds are seeking their third straight win. After losing to Cleveland 3-0, they bounced back with a 7-2 win and then last night’s 1-0 win. The Reds got a home run from Christian Encarniacon-Strand in the ninth to win it. Cincinnati, in the win on Wednesday, saw Stuart Fairchild and Matt McLain hit home runs to anchor the way.
The Reds’ offense is currently 7th in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored and on-base percentage. The top Cincinnati offensive threats this season have been center fielder TJ Friedl and first baseman Spencer Steer. Friedl is hitting .275 on the season, while Steer has clubbed 18 home runs and 66 runs batted in.
Brandon Williamson gets the start for Cincinnati. The 25-year-old lefthander is 4-2, with a 4.33 earned run average on the season. The Reds start a long road trip following this series.
The road trip will feature ten straight road games at the Angels for three, Arizona for four, and finish in San Francisco for three to wrap up the month of August.
Toronto Looking to Bounce Back
The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to bounce back after losing five out of their last seven games. After losing back-to-back games to the Cubs, they came away with the series finale win and then a win at home against Philadelphia.
The Blue Jays then lost the second game of the series and last night. In their last four losses, the Blue Jays are averaging just 2.5 runs per game.
Bo Bichette is the top hitter for the Blue Jays this season. The shortstop is hitting .321 on the season. Vladimir Guerrero is having a good season for Toronto, as he leads the way with 18 home runs and has drove in 72 runs on the season. Toronto ranks sixth in all of Major League Baseball, with a .259 batting average.
The Toronto will feature Chris Bassitt on the mound. The 34-year-old is 11-6 on the season, with a 3.95 earned run average. Bassitt has made 25 starts on the season and thrown 145.2 innings.
During those innings, he has struck out 137 batters on the season. His last start was against the Cubs, where he allowed four hits in six innings.
Toronto Evens Series
Chris Bassitt has some nasty stuff. Look for him to have a solid game here and keep the Reds’ offense off balance. Bassitt gets a win in this game, and Toronto evens the series up. The final bet for this Saturday evening game is the Toronto Blue Jays -148 over the Cincinnati Reds.
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