Southpaw Logan Allen is expected to make the start for Cleveland, while right-hander Graham Ashcroft is the probable starting pitcher for Cincinnati.
The first pitch is at 6:40 pm at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Guardians Still in American League Central Hunt
With over a month remaining until the playoffs, the Guardians are 4.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central standings. That gives Cleveland a realistic chance at winning the division, but they’ve dropped six of their last 10 games and need some wins. Tuesday night is a good place to start, and Logan Allen is where the winning could begin.
That's Gold Glover Andrés Giménez, thank you very much. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/GsCLu4W7hA
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) August 13, 2023
Allen (5-5, 3.55) has stood out during his rookie season. The young Southpaw has allowed a dozen earned runs over his previous 29 innings on the bump. Allen has a below-average WHIP, but he’s pitched well on the road and has a 3.83-away xFIP. The Guardian’s lefty strikes out 10 per nine and walks nearly four batters away from Cleveland while serving up less than one home run per nine frames.
Reds Chasing Cubs and Brewers for National League Central Pennant
The Reds are contenders for the National League Central crown, but they’ve dropped seven of their past 10 and are 3.5 games behind first-place Milwaukee. Cincinnati is 0.5 games behind the second National League Wild Card, but they have a negative run differential and need to get hot now otherwise, they’ll be watching the MLB postseason from wherever they plan to holiday.
Welcome back, Rally Reds. pic.twitter.com/07NBTSLbQ2
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 14, 2023
Ashcroft (6-7, 4.95) has had his ups and downs this season, but he’s surrendered just eight earned runs over his past 31.1 innings on the hill. Ashcroft also has a below-average WHIP, and while he’s been a disaster this season pitching at Great American Ballpark, his xFIP is a full run lower than his home ERA, and he’s punching out six while walking just over three per nine innings. Ashcroft is also coughing up 1.80 bombs per nine frames at home in 2023.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Cincinnati Reds Betting Analysis
This is a difficult contest to make a prediction for. Neither one of these teams is playing good baseball at all, but my best bet would be Cincinnati -102 at DraftKings Ohio.
Ashcroft has struggled at times this season, but he’s pitched very well over his previous five starts at home, and I look for this trend to continue Tuesday night.
The Reds hurler has allowed just eight earned runs over his previous 33.2 frames on the bump at Great American Ballpark. He’s also thrown 24 strikeouts during that same five-game period, and he faces a Cleveland offense ranked 12th in the American League in runs scored with a losing away record this season.
Allen is going to be a good one for sure, but the Reds are an above-average offense against left-handed pitching, they are still trying to make the playoffs, and they should be able to score enough runs to win this game.
Finally, Cleveland isn’t a good road team at all. Cincinnati has a sub-.500 record at home, but they are a better baseball team with more to play for than the Guardians. Take the Reds -102 at DraftKings.
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