Cincinnati Reds (26-49) vs Atlanta Braves (44-33)
Friday, July 01, 2022 at 6:40 pm
My selection is on Atlanta -1.5 runs over Cincinnati at 6:40 pm et on Friday.
We went against the Braves last night and were rewarded with a 14-4 Phillies victory in the finale of that divisional series. Here, Atlanta will travel to Cincinnati to face the lowly Reds and I look for them to get their frustrations out. Max Fried continues to rate as one of the best pitchers in baseball, checking in with a 2.58 FIP and 1.05 WHIP this season, allowing only 2.86 runs per nine innings. His counterpart on Friday will be journeyman Mike Minor. He's having a miserable campaign, recording a 7.96 FIP and 1.60 WHIP, albeit with a small sample size of around 25 innings. Opponents have reached Minor for north of 7.7 runs per nine innings. The Braves should have the advantage in the later innings as well as Cincinnati's bullpen has been downright awful lately, posting a collective 9.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP over the last seven games. The Reds have converted only four saves while blowing four at home this season. Take Atlanta -1.5 runs (9*).