Reds vs. Yankees Prediction and Odds for Thursday, July 14 (Cincinnati a Valuable Bet as Underdogs)
By Reed Wallach
Are the Yankees just waiting for the All-Star break?
The Yanks have quietly slowed up record-wise over the past two weeks, but nobody's noticing as they still hold a double-digit game lead in the AL East. Now they conclude their series with the Cincinnati Reds, who send out their best pitcher on Thursday in Luis Castillo.
Castillo may be auditioning for a new team come the trade deadline at the end of the month, so look for him to keep his sub-3.00 ERA in tact.
Here are the odds for Thursday's series finale from consensus sportsbooks:
Reds vs. Yankees Odds, Run Line, Total
Run Line:
- Reds: +1.5 (-125)
- Yankees: -1.5 (-105)
Moneyline:
- Reds: +165
- Yankees: -200
Total:
- 8 (Over -115/Under -105)
Reds vs. Yankees Prediction and Pick
The Yankees may have won four of Cortes' last five starts, but not much of it has been from his doing. He has an ERA of 4.81 over his last five as his hot start is starting to become a distant memory.
Sure, the Yankees have the best offense in baseball this month on a wRC+ perspective, but Cortes is not the Cy Young candidate he appeared to be in April and May. Now, he is facing a better pitcher and a team that can knock around lefties.
Cincy is top 10 in batting average against southpaws and have their ace on the mound in Castillo, who is pitching at the best level of his career. He has a 2.92 ERA in 12 starts and is near his career best WHIP mark as well.
While the Yankees offense is scary to fade, the edge Castillo has over Cortes makes them a live underdog as New York may be eyeing the All-Star break a few games too early.
LEAN: Reds ML (+165)