The Cincinnati Reds are in the thick of the National League Wild Card picture and will look to improve their standing on Friday when they host the St. Louis Cardinals.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (-120, 10.5)
For the Reds Andrew Abbott gets the start, who enters having allowed three runs or fewer in 14 of his 17 starts with the team 13-4 in those starts and Abbott posting a 3.22 ERA with 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Much of Abbott’s success has been at home, posting a 2.66 ERA at home with a .180 opponents batting average compared to a 3.86 ERA on the road and opponents hitting for a .269 average off of him.
Countering for the Cardinals on the mound is Drew Rom, who in three career starts has not looked ready for the big leagues, logging a 7.24 ERA with eight walks issued across a total of 13 2/3 innings pitched.
Rom had similar command issues while pitching at the AAA level in Memphis this season, posting a 4.82 ERA with 4.6 walks per nine innings in the Independent League and since getting called up to the MLB level, the Cardinals are 0-3 in Rom’s starts with two of those losses coming to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Cardinals do not have a great bullpen to support Rom, ranking 23rd in bullpen ERA and unlike the Reds, who are 15th in bullpen ERA, the Cardinals did not get a rest day on Thursday.
Both teams have been relative equals with their offense since the All-Star Break, averaging a little over 4.2 runs per game each and with the rest, home field, and pitching advantage all favoring the Reds, they will pick up a series opening win at home on Friday.
The Play: Reds -120
