Cincinnati Reds vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/15/2022

Time: 3:40 p.m. ET

Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Where to watch: Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Arizona

DraftKings: Diamondbacks -155, Reds +135

BetMGM: Diamondbacks -165, Reds +135

Caesars: Diamondbacks -161, Reds +140

Reds: 21-39

Diamondbacks: 29-33

I haven't quite yet figured out if it's a good thing or a bad thing That a Major League Baseball game can go all the way through 9 innings, not score a single run between the two teams, and then suddenly erupt to the point where the game is tide after the 10th and 11th innings.

But that's what we got on Tuesday when the Cincinnati Reds hung on for a 5- 3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks and took this series by winning the first two games. And ultimately we can look at this series and say that the Diamondbacks, once again fell short offensively but at the same time we can also look at this from a longstanding point of view and say that Cincinnati continues to impress since losing 23 of its first 26 games.

But let's just look at how weird this game was. The Reds opened the scoring in the top of the 10th with an RBI double, to which Arizona responded with a RBI double from David Peralta. Then Kyle farmer comes back in the 11th and drives in two runs for a 3-1 lead.

Then it goes to the bottom of the 11th where Arizona scored on a wild pitch to make it three to two but also drove in the tying run off a bases loaded walk. None of that made sense by looking at the scoreboard and I'm pretty sure if you did not watch the highlights of that game, you're just as confused as I am. Then the Reds scored twice in the top of the 12th and that's all she wrote.

And it's almost crazy to look at this game and see how crazy the final extra innings were without looking at Cincinnati starting pitching and just being amazed at how good Tyler Mahle was. He pitched all nine innings, gave up only three hits, and struck out 12 on 119 pitches. Oh, and he lowered his ERA to 4.46.

"Seeing him being able to get through the ninth was a lot of fun," Reds manager David Bell said. "I wanted to make sure he was OK, he looked over and gave me a little nod, I'll probably remember that look for the rest of my career."

To not get a win out of that kind of performance shows just how ridiculous Cincinnati’s season has been to this point. Trust me this is not a time where we should be lauding the Reds for being overall a bad team, but at least to the point where they're starting pitcher, who has been much maligned to this point goes the distance and strikes out 12 is kind of baffling.

"I think (Mahle) was changing speeds early, attacking the zone, hitting the edges," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "And then it was just a very explosive (fastball) to finish our hitters off."

But nevertheless Cincinnati has taken control of this series and has somehow found a way to win two out of three. On any given night, that should be commemorated for how well they have played. The way Cincinnati has been able to stay afloat and not look as horrible as they did in the first 26 games is truly remarkable. And we have talked about that plenty. They are not going to make a run at the National League central unless the Saint Louis Cardinals completely fall off the rails or the Milwaukee Brewers just suddenly continue forget how to play baseball.

It is fun to see how much they improved over the course of the last couple of months and I'm excited to see how they look in the second half when they have a chance to play spoiler.

Luis Castillo will take the mound against Zac Gallen and normally I’d be all in favor of the Diamondbacks finding a way to win with him on the mound. I just don’t trust Arizona’s offense still and I can’t continue to believe they’ll figure it out in a finale. I like the Reds to complete the sweep. Reds win 6-4

Reds are 10-12 as an underdog between +125 and +175 this season.

Reds are 6-16 against NL West teams this season.

Diamondbacks are 25-20 the past three seasons as a favorite.

Reds:
Nick Senzel (R) CF
Brandon Drury (R) 3B
Tommy Pham (R) DH
Joey Votto (L) 1B
Kyle Farmer (R) SS
Matt Reynolds (R) 2B
TJ Friedl (L) LF
Aristides Aquino (R) RF
Aramis Garcia (R) C
SP - Luis Castillo

Diamondbacks:
Daulton Varsho (L) DH
Pavin Smith (L) RF
Josh Rojas (L) 3B
Christian Walker (R) 1B
David Peralta (L) LF
Alek Thomas (L) CF
Geraldo Perdomo (S) SS
Jake Hager (R) 2B
Jose Herrera (S) C
SP - Zac Gallen

Batting average: Kyle Farmer -- .283

Home runs: Brandon Drury -- 12

RBI: Kyle Farmer -- 37

Wins: Hunter Greene -- 3

ERA: Tyler Mahle -- 4.46

Batting average: Ketel Marte -- .268

Home runs: Christian Walker -- 16

RBI: Christian Walker -- 33

Wins: Merrill Kelly -- 5

ERA: Madison Bumgarner -- 3.50