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Reds vs. Guardians Prediction and Odds for Tuesday, May 17 (Fade Both Starters in this Series Opener)

By Matt De Saro

Toronto Blue Jays v Cleveland Guardians
Toronto Blue Jays v Cleveland Guardians / Ron Schwane/GettyImages
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Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for the Cincinnati Reds, they find a way to throw a combined no-hitter and still lose. I have to give credit to rookie Hunter Greene who totally proved me wrong on Sunday by tossing an absolute gem. I also have to thank the Reds for still finding a way to lose without giving up a hit. I was starting to worry that the Reds might have turned a corner, thus ruining my fun of fading them. But, Sunday’s performance made me realize that this was not the case. The Reds just got lucky to play the Pirates eight times in less than two weeks. 

Now, the Reds head to Cleveland to kick off a two-game series on Tuesday against the Guardians. Cleveland enters this game in need of a winning series with a 16-17 record. They currently sit in second in the AL Central but need to pick up the pace if they hope to keep up with the Twins and White Sox. 

Here are the odds for this game, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook. 

Reds vs. Guardians Odds, Run Line, and Total

Run Line

  • Reds: +1.5 (-150)
  • Guardians: -1.5 (+125)

Moneyline:

  • Reds: +147
  • Guardians: -157

Total:

  • Total 8 (Over -110/Under -110)

Reds vs. Guardians Prediction and Pick

While Hunter Greene finally had a good start for the Reds, Connor Overton has been making a habit of it for Cincinnati. Overton enters this game 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 17 innings pitched. His strikeout to walk ratio of 8:6 is concerning, but he’s not yet been punished for those control issues. I think that could change this afternoon. 

The Guardians might be struggling, but it’s not because of their offense. Cleveland has the fourth-best batting average in the MLB at .251 and eighth-best OPS at .717. The issues for Cleveland continue to revolve around their rotation and Zach Plesac is one of their biggest offenders. Plesac enters with a 4.68 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 32 ⅔ innings. His last time out saw him give up four earned runs in 6 ⅓ innings against the White Sox. And while the Reds are a terrible team, they have been hitting lately. In their last seven games, the Reds have scored more than ten runs twice and more than six runs four times.

I think that both pitchers are going to struggle here and I’m going to take a shot on the OVER in this series opener. 

Pick: OVER 8 (-115)

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE

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