The Cincinnati Reds (-125) are on the road to face the Houston Astros (+105) at Minute Maid Park on Friday for the opener of a three-game Interleague series. The early total has been set at 9 (O: -105 | U: -115).
The Reds (34-35) are kicking off the final series of their nine-game road trip. They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Royals, taking the finale 7-4 on Wednesday at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium for their fifth straight win.
Jonathan India was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. He had two RBIs. Matt McLain added a home run, two runs, and three RBIs. The Astros (39-30) are in the midst of a nine-game homestand.
They won two of three against the Nationals in their last series, dropping the finale 4-1 on Thursday at Minute Maid Park. Kyle Tucker went 3 for 4 with a double and one run. Yainer Diaz added one RBI on one hit.
The teams are meeting for the first time since June 19, 2019, when the Reds finished off a three-game series sweep with a 3-2 victory at Great American Ball Park.
ON THE MOUND
Andrew Abbott (2-0, 0.00 ERA) is in line to start for Cincinnati. The LHP threw 5.2 scoreless innings in his last start, an 8-4 road win over the Cardinals on Saturday. He got the win, yielding five hits while striking out four and walking three.
RHP J.P. France (2-1, 3.54 ERA) gets the start for Houston. In his last start on Saturday, France got the win on the road against the Guardians. He threw 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking six in the 6-4 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Cincinnati offense is averaging 4.7 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .254/.331/.395. Spencer Steer leads the team in OPS at .831. The third baseman is slashing .278/.357/.473 with nine home runs, 37 RBIs, and 36 runs over 66 games.
Over the last five games, however, Cincinnati has averaged 5.8 runs a game partially due to greater slugging (.424). Against right-handed pitchers like France this season, the Reds have a .716 OPS.
TJ Friedl is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a .871 OPS in 138 at-bats. Houston is slashing .246/.315/.399 for the season and averaging 4.5 runs per game. Yordan Alvarez leads the team with a .978 OPS. The left fielder has 17 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 41 runs scored with a slash line of .277/.388/.589.
The ‘Stros have a .763 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a .988 OPS over 71 at-bats, Alvarez also has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cincinnati is on a five-game winning streak in road games, bringing their record to 17-17 in 2023. The Reds have scored 4.7 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.7 runs.
Houston has gone 20-15 at their home park this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game while surrendering 3.7. Cincinnati is 7-3 in the last 10 games at Minute Maid Park between the teams with an average scoreline of 5.0-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Reds are third in the NL Central, one game behind the division-leading Pirates. The Astros are second in the AL West, three games behind the Rangers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Houston Astros -1.5 (+110)
Want up to a $1K risk-free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information, and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
