Free MLB Picks Today: Cincinnati Reds vs Boston Red Sox 9/20/22

The Cincinnati Reds (58-89) host the Boston Red Sox (71-75) at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday for the first of a two-game Interleague series. The Red Sox are kicking off a six-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Royals, taking the finale 13-3 on Sunday at Fenway Park. Rafael Devers was 4 for 6 with a double and three RBIs. Kike Hernandez added a double, four runs, and one RBI. The Reds are playing the first of six games at home. They lost three of five against the Cardinals in their last series, taking the finale 3-0 on Sunday at Busch Stadium. Stuart Fairchild went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The teams have split their games this season 1-1, as the Red Sox evened the season series with a 7-1 victory in their most recent meeting on June 1 at Fenway Park. Garrett Whitlock went six innings for the win, giving up one run (0 ER) on five hits.

ON THE MOUND

Brayan Bello (1-6, 5.10 ERA) is in line to get the start for Boston. The right-hander allowed three runs (zero earned) over five innings in his last start, a 5-3 home defeat against the Yankees on Wednesday. He took the loss, yielding six hits while striking out six and walking one. Lefty Nick Lodolo (4-6, 3.81 ERA) will toe the rubber for Cincinnati. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Red Sox. In his last start on Wednesday, Lodolo took the loss at home against the Pirates. He threw 6.1 innings and gave up three runs on six hits, striking out 11, in the 10-4 defeat.

AT THE PLATE

The Boston offense is averaging 4.6 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .259/.321/.410. Devers leads the team in OPS at .877. The third baseman is slashing .292/.351/.527 with 26 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 76 runs over 127 games. Against left-handed pitchers like Lodolo this season, the Sox have a .763 OPS. Xander Bogaerts is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a 1.029 OPS in 110 at-bats. Cincinnati is slashing .239/.307/.380 for the season and averaging 4.2 runs per game. Kyle Farmer leads the team with a .710 OPS. The third baseman has 12 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 55 runs scored with a slash line of .260/.321/.389. Cincinnati is averaging only 2.4 runs per game in the last five with their slash line slipping across the board (.207/.264/.337). The Reds have a .677 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .619 OPS over 340 at-bats, Farmer also has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Boston is 34-38 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 4.5 runs. Cincinnati has lost four in a row at home. The Reds are 29-43 at home this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game while surrendering 5.2. Boston is 7-1 in eight meetings at Great American Ball Park with an average scoreline of 4.9-2.6.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Red Sox are fifth in the AL East, 17 games behind the division-leading Yankees. The Reds are fourth in the NL Central, 28 games behind the Cardinals.