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Posted on: June 21, 2023, 10:10h.
Last updated on: June 21, 2023, 10:25h.
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, and the hottest team in baseball extended their winning streak to 10 games. The Reds lost 100 games last season, but they momentarily seized first place in the NL Central thanks to their recent and unexpected surge.
The Reds (39-35) hold a half-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers (38-35) in the NL Central.
The Reds were picked to finish dead last in their division, and die-hard fans expected their team to lose close to 100 games again.
Oddsmakers projected the Reds would lose 97 games this season, and they had a win total of 64.5 over/under before the season began. Only two other teams, the Oakland A’s and the Washington Nationals, had a lower win total than the Reds entering this season.
That’s why this current double-digit winning streak for the Reds has been an utter surprise. Fans wonder if the Reds can legitimately win the division, or will the doldrums of late summer rear their ugly head and cause the Reds to revert to their losing ways?
Reds Keep Winning
The Reds started the season 3-1, which gave many fans a glimmer of hope that this could be a different season. That outlook was short-lived after the Reds dropped 14 out of their next 18 games. They hit a rough patch with a 9-14 stretch in May and fell eight games below .500. The Reds unleashed a five-game winning streak to end May, which was followed up by a four-game skid to start June.
The Reds are 13-2 since early June and have won five-straight series. They won eight consecutive road games at the onset of their winning streak before returning to Cincinnati for a quick, six-game homestand.
The Rockies are the second-worst team in the NL this season, and the Reds edged them out on Monday and Tuesday to extend their winning streak to 10. The Reds host a “getaway” day game on Wednesday against the Rockies to complete the three-game series before a day off on Thursday.
During their current 10-game surge, the Reds won six games that were either decided by one run or that went into extra innings. The Reds had an impressive 9-7 victory in extra innings on Sunday to sweep the defending World Series champion Astros.
The Reds host the Atlanta Braves for a three-game homestand this weekend. The Braves (47-26) have the best record in the National League and the second-best record in all of baseball. The Braves are the current betting favorite to win the World Series, but the Reds ambushed them last week with a sweep. When the Braves visit Cincinnati this weekend, they’ll have revenge on their minds as they attempt to cool down the sizzling Reds.
Votto Returns, Rookie Abbott Shines
Veteran first baseman Joey Votto needed only two at-bats before he crushed a home run in his season debut on Monday. Votto’s 2022 season was cut short by a torn rotator cuff and torn biceps, and he was sidelined since last August.
Votto contributed three RBIs in a 5-4 victory against the Rockies on Monday, which extended their winning streak to nine in a row.
Long time coming,” Votto said. “This is a different energy than I’ve experienced in years, maybe in my entire career, the way these guys think about themselves and how hard they play. I wanted to be a part of this. We are all a part of this.”
Andrew Abbott, a rookie left-handed pitcher, won his first three starts in the big leagues and he’s yet to give up a run since the Reds called him up from the minor leagues. Abbott became the first pitcher since 1893, when the current mound distance was established, to hurl three scoreless outings (in a minimum of five innings) to start his career.
Abbott allowed one hit in six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his MLB debut. He scattered nine hits over the next 11.2 innings versus the Cardinals and Astros, but didn’t yield any runs.
Abbott has a pristine 0.00 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He takes the mound on Wednesday for his fourth career start.
“I’m going to try to keep it going as long as possible,” said Abbott after shutting down the Astros last Friday. “Let’s put it that way.”
Reds Last Won the World Series in 1990
The Reds won the World Series five times, but two of those victories occurred before World War II. Heck, even the first Reds championship is tainted. The Reds won the 1919 World Series when they defeated the Chicago White Sox, who were accused of throwing the series, earning themselves the Black Sox moniker.
The Big Red Machine era produced back-to-back World Series victories in 1975 and 1976 under manager Sparky Anderson. The 1970s marked the golden era of baseball in the Queen City with two titles and four NL pennants during the halcyon days of Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, and Pete Rose.
Cincinnati won only one more championship when they won the 1990 World Series. The Reds haven’t won a title in 23 years, and haven’t won a playoff game since 2012.
The Reds qualified for the NL wild card in 2013 and 2020 but failed to produce a single victory or advance to the NLDS.
Betting the Reds on the Futures Market
The Reds entered spring training near the bottom of the futures board as a long shot to win the 2023 World Series at +20000 odds. They bottomed out at +80000 odds at the start of June after a four-game losing streak, and fell seven games under .500 at 26-33.
After the Reds won a road series against the Cardinals on the second weekend in June, they were +30000 odds at the start of their winning streak. After their winning streak reached 10 in a row, the Reds saw their World Series odds jump to +15000.
The Reds improved to +5000 odds to win the NL pennant, which they last won in 1990.
The Reds were established during the preseason as a long shot to win the NL Central at +6600 odds. Last week, their odds were +1100 to win the division. After they extended their winning streak to 10, the Reds are now +300 odds to win the NL Central.
The Brewers are the betting favorite to win the NL Central at -110 odds, followed by the Reds (+300), Chicago Cubs (+400), St.. Louis Cardinals (+600), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (+2000). The NL Central is always one of the toughest divisions in baseball because the five teams constantly cannibalize each other due to fierce competition and long-standing rivalries.
DraftKings offers a popular prop bet on which baseball teams will make the playoffs. The Reds are -425 odds to miss the playoffs, but they’re +330 odds to qualify for the playoffs.
FanGraphs projects the Reds have a 17.5% chance to make the playoffs with a 15.7% chance to win the division. The Reds have a minuscule 0.3% chance to win the World Series, according to FanGraphs’ championship projection.
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