The Texas Rangers (14-7) take one of the highest-scoring lineups in the league on the road to face the Cincinnati Reds (7-15) and Nick Lodolo, one of this season’s stingiest pitchers, at Great American Ball Park on Monday to open a three-game Interleague series.
The Rangers won two out of three in their last series against the Athletics, taking the finale 5-2 on Sunday at Globe Life Field. Robbie Grossman was 1 for 2 with a home run and four RBIs, walking twice. Leody Taveras went 3 for 4 with three runs.
The Reds are coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates, dropping the finale 2-0 on Sunday at PNC Park for their sixth straight loss. Tyler Stephenson went 1 for 1 with a double. The teams are meeting for the first time since June 16, 2019, when the Reds avoided a three-game series sweep with an 11-3 win at Great American Ball Park.
ON THE MOUND
Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 6.32 ERA) is in line for the start for Texas. The right-hander allowed two runs over six innings in his last start, a 12-2 home win over the Royals on Tuesday. He was credited with the win, scattering seven hits while striking out five and walking one.
Lefty Lodolo (2-1, 2.12 ERA) will toe the rubber for Cincinnati. In his last start on Tuesday, Lodolo took the loss at home against the Rays. He threw 4.2 innings and gave up eight runs on 12 hits, striking out four and walking one in the 10-0 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Texas offense is averaging 6.6 runs per game for the season, second best in the league, with a slash line of .261/.340/.438. Adolis Garcia leads the team in OPS at .877. The outfield is slashing .260/.306/.571 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs, and 18 runs over 20 games.
Over the last five games, however, Texas has averaged 10.2 runs a game while performing better across the board (.335/.432/.545). Against southpaws like Lodolo this season, the Rangers have a .623 OPS. Nathaniel Lowe is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a .620 OPS in 19 at-bats.
Cincinnati is slashing .235/.318/.352 for the season and averaging 4.0 runs per game. Spencer Steer leads the team with ann .869 OPS. The shortstop has two home runs, seven RBIs, and nine runs scored with a slash line of .300/.403/.467. Cincinnati is averaging only 1.2 runs per game in the last five with their slash line dropping across the board (.189/.254/.208). The Reds have a .675 OPS against righties in 2023. With a .860 OPS over 54 at-bats, Jonathan India has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Texas is on a four-game winning streak away from Globe Life Field, bringing their record to 6-3 in 2023. The Rangers have scored 6.2 runs per game away from home, while allowing 3.3 runs. Cincinnati has gone 6-6 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game while surrendering 5.8.
The teams have split their last 10 games head-to-head at Great American Ball Park, though Cincinnati has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.2-4.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rangers lead the AL West by two games over the Astros. The Reds are fifth in the NL Central, eight games behind the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Texas Rangers (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
