The Los Angeles Dodgers are hot in pursuit of the Colorado Rockies in the National League West. Entering Monday, the Dodgers were half a game behind the division leading Rockies. Los Angeles was supposed to make ground as they faced the National League East cellar dwellers Cincinnati Reds while the Rockies faced the Arizona Diamondbacks who are just 2.5 behind Colorado in the team standings.
But while the Rockies beat the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers fell to the Reds 10-6 in their series opener. Now trailing the Colorado by a full game, the Dodgers are looking to return the favor in Game 2 as they try to put the pressure on Colorado as the season winds down.
Hyun Jin Ryu will get to start on top of the mound as the Dodgers look to rebound from Monday’s setback. The 31 year old left hander has started a total of 11 games this season and owns a record of 4-2 with an ERA of 2.16 and a WHIP of 1.03.
In his last start, Ryu took the loss as the Dodgers dropped a 3-7 decision to the New York Mets on September 5, 2018. The four year hurler from Incheon, South Korea gave up five runs (3 earned) on 10 hits and no walks with eight strikeouts across six innings of work.
Most of the hits though were soft and only two (both doubles) went for extra bases. Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts later said that Ryu was better than the line he posted.
Ryu started the season strong but after a 3-0 record in his first five starts, he was sidelined with a groin injury. He returned to the rotation last month and compiled a record of 1-1 in four starts with an ERA of 2.38 for the month of August.
3rd baseman David Freese has two hits, including 1 homerun, and 2 RBIs in three at bats against Reds’ starter Luis Castillo. Likewise, catcher Yasmani Grandal is 2-3 against Castillo and he also has a homerun against the Reds’ starting pitcher this season.
For the Reds, it will be Luis Castillo who gets the call as the starter. The 25 year old right hander has started in a total of 28 games this season and has a record of 8-12 with an ERA of 4.79 and a WHIP of 1.27.
Castillo iis coming off a 2-6 loss to the San Diego Padres last September 6, 2018. Castillo gave up five runs (two earned) on five hits and no walks with seven strikeouts in a total of five innings pitched. Prior to that loss, Castillo was impressive against the Cardinals on September 1, 2018, pitching 6.2 scoreless innings with only two hits and a career high 11 strikeouts. However, he gave up a career high three home runs last Thursday including a three run shot by Francisco Mejia.
His strikeout rate of 9.0K/9 is very promising but he will need to be more consistent and that is probably his biggest challenge. Castillo has a record of 3-4 in his last seven starts. Castillo has a win in his only start against the Dodgers this season. During that game, he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in six innings pitched while allowing Los Angeles to bat .182 against him.
Among the Cincinnati batters, Joey Votto has the most success against Ryu as he has four hits, including one home run, with 3 RBIs in 11 at bats against the Los Angeles starter. Right fielder Scott Schebler also has two career RBIs off Ryu on 2 hits in 5 career at bats.
The Reds currently lead their season series 5-0. Despite the loss, the Dodgers have won 11 out of their last 15 games overall while the Reds are just 5-13 in their last 18 games overall.
Castillo is a threat to beat Los Angeles in this contest but not only has he not been consistent all year round but he’s pitched past the fifth inning only thrice in his last 10 starts. Even if he does, the Reds’ bullpen hasn’t been as good.
The Dodgers’ pitching was a non-factor in the 6-10 loss on Monday as seven runs were charged to Alex Wood in the first 3.2 innings of play. But with the comebacking Ryu getting the start, the Dodgers should have a better result. Ryu is coming off a loss but as Dodgers’ manager said, he played better than his stats. The Reds won on Monday because of offense but with Ryu on top of the hill, the result should be different this time around. We’re picking the Los Angeles Dodgers to beat the Cincinnati Reds on 9/11/18.
The run total for this game is pegged at 9. According to Betonline.ag as of 9/10/18, these are the odds:
Run Total Odds: Under 9 -120, Over 9 +100
When you look at the trends, we have an enticing bet here. The total has gone over in 8 of the last 12 meetings between these two teams. Likewise, the total has gone over in four out of the Dodgers’ last 6 games and in 4 out of Cincinnati’s last 5 outings. Moreso, these two teams have combined to score 61 runs in their last five games. Prediction: Over 9
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