Free Picks: Cincinnati Reds vs San Francisco Giants

The Cincinnati Reds (7-3) do battle with the San Francisco Giants (6-4) in a matchup of teams that are off to somewhat surprisingly good starts. Cincinnati sustained its first series loss of the season this past weekend at Arizona, while the Giants just swept the Rockies in their home-opening series to forge a four-game winning streak. Since 2018, the Reds have taken seven of the past 10 against the Giants — including four of seven in 2019.

The tired cliché is that revenge is a dish best served cold; but for Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman, it might be best served from a pitcher’s mound on a mild evening in the Bay Area. Gausman, who was not tendered a contract by the Reds two winters ago, will face his old team for the first time since on Tuesday night in an inter-division National League matchup.

The Reds certainly could’ve used Gausman last year, as he pitched to a 3.62 ERA in 12 outings (10 starts) as one of the most reliable arms in San Francisco’s stable. He’s off to an impressive start so far this season as well, with a 1.32 ERA over two starts, which includes 11 strikeouts and just seven hits allowed in 13 2/3 innings.

In this game, the Reds and Giants are given equal value of -110 on the money line (888sport) in the latest MLB odds. Among the run line options is Cincinnati at +1.5 runs, which yields a -227 value (888sport).

Gausman might be catching the Reds at the right time, as Cincinnati’s offense has cooled a bit after a historically excellent start. Through its first seven games, Cincinnati scored 63 runs (nine per game), which was tied for third-most among active franchises since 1900. They were also the only team to score at least five runs in each of their first seven games. But since then, the Reds have scored just six runs in their past three games, losing two of three. Hitters have their ups and downs, and the Reds appear at risk of trending down at the moment.

Well, perhaps just on the offensive side of things. Such is not the case for Luis Castillo, their Tuesday starter, who is coming off a scoreless, seven-inning win against the Pirates in his most recent start. In three career starts against the Giants — albeit none since 2019 — Castillo is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA.

Even with the offense on a bit of a cool streak, Cincinnati found a way to beat San Francisco on Monday night, 3-0. In this BetPicks prediction, we like their chances to do so again on Tuesday, though Gausman and Castillo should have the makings for a pitcher’s duel. Find the under on the run total when it becomes available (especially given that the under has hit eight times in a row for San Francisco).

• Cincinnati is 7-3 on the money line in its past 10
• The OVER has cashed in seven of the Reds’ past 10 games
• San Francisco is 6-4 on the money line in its past 10
• The UNDER has cashed in eight of the Giants’ past eight games