by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
Where to watch: NBC Sports Bay Area, Bally Sports Ohio
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: NL
Season record
Giants: 24-20
Reds: 15-30
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Giants - Reds preview and analysis
It has come to my attention that I really need to stop thinking the overwhelming favorite in a baseball game is going to dominate, because clearly I have no idea how to function when a team like the San Francisco Giants should beat the Cincinnati Reds.
Instead, we're in a conundrum after the Reds opened the series Friday in Cincinnati with a 5-1 victory after jumping out to a 3-0 lead through five innings and getting six terrific innings from rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft.
Ashcraft only struck out two, but he got ahead of the count to the first 12 batters with first-pitch strikes and held the Giants to just four hits.
"Graham is tough to hit," Reds manager David Bell said. "Getting ahead with movement. It makes for a tough at-bat. He had one or two strikeouts, but mostly ground balls. That shows the kind of stuff he has."
Brandon Drury went yard for the Reds, and Matt Reynolds also had an RBI double for Cincy, who is 15 games away from getting back to .500. With a little bit of luck and some potential raindancing, the Reds could get back to .500.
"It is awesome to get that first W," Ashcraft said. "It is something I've been working on for a long time. I'm extremely pleased. Strikeouts are great and every thing but a lot of ground balls can keep you in the game longer."
The Giants, meanwhile, after coming off winning two of three against the New York Mets at home, fly out across the country for the big dud. To that point, I guess I should've seen that coming but felt that the Reds -- fresh off scoring 20 runs their previous game against the Chicago Cubs -- would come back to Earth. They just couldn't hit off that rookie pitcher.
The Giants were held to six total hits and also committed an error. Brandon Crawford was the only Giants player to have a multi-hit game, but Joc Pederson continued his hot week by going 1-for-3 with the only RBI of the game. That, of course, would end up not mattering in the end.
"This is a turn the page situation, first game of a long road trip, this isn't something that gets us down for a minute," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "We understand we didn't play our best baseball. We'll shower it off and be ready to compete."
Instead, we're in a conundrum after the Reds opened the series Friday in Cincinnati with a 5-1 victory after jumping out to a 3-0 lead through five innings and getting six terrific innings from rookie right-hander Graham Ashcraft.
Ashcraft only struck out two, but he got ahead of the count to the first 12 batters with first-pitch strikes and held the Giants to just four hits.
"Graham is tough to hit," Reds manager David Bell said. "Getting ahead with movement. It makes for a tough at-bat. He had one or two strikeouts, but mostly ground balls. That shows the kind of stuff he has."
Brandon Drury went yard for the Reds, and Matt Reynolds also had an RBI double for Cincy, who is 15 games away from getting back to .500. With a little bit of luck and some potential raindancing, the Reds could get back to .500.
"It is awesome to get that first W," Ashcraft said. "It is something I've been working on for a long time. I'm extremely pleased. Strikeouts are great and every thing but a lot of ground balls can keep you in the game longer."
The Giants, meanwhile, after coming off winning two of three against the New York Mets at home, fly out across the country for the big dud. To that point, I guess I should've seen that coming but felt that the Reds -- fresh off scoring 20 runs their previous game against the Chicago Cubs -- would come back to Earth. They just couldn't hit off that rookie pitcher.
The Giants were held to six total hits and also committed an error. Brandon Crawford was the only Giants player to have a multi-hit game, but Joc Pederson continued his hot week by going 1-for-3 with the only RBI of the game. That, of course, would end up not mattering in the end.
"This is a turn the page situation, first game of a long road trip, this isn't something that gets us down for a minute," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "We understand we didn't play our best baseball. We'll shower it off and be ready to compete."
Prediction
The Reds didn't know who to send out before the game, put the rookie out and things went well. With the Giants, Alex Wood is getting the start and I would venture to guess that the Giants will bounce back after having a rough go in this first game. Give me the Giants in a much better effort. Giants win 5-2
Betting trends
Giants are 11-8 on the road this season.
Giants are 24-18 against NL Central teams the past three seasons.
Reds are 2-8 at home when the line is between +125 and -125 this season.
Projected lineup
Giants:
Darin Ruf (R) DH
Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF
Evan Longoria (R) 3B
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Joc Pederson (L) LF
Stuart Fairchild (R) CF
Joey Bart (R) C
Donovan Walton (L) SS
Alex Wood - SP
Darin Ruf (R) DH
Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF
Evan Longoria (R) 3B
Thairo Estrada (R) 2B
Joc Pederson (L) LF
Stuart Fairchild (R) CF
Joey Bart (R) C
Donovan Walton (L) SS
Alex Wood - SP
Reds:
Nick Senzel (R) CF
Brandon Drury (R) 3B
Tommy Pham (R) DH
Joey Votto (L) 1B
Tyler Stephenson (R) C
Kyle Farmer (R) SS
Aristides Aquino (R) RF
Albert Almora Jr. (R) LF
Matt Reynolds (R) 2B
TBD SP
Nick Senzel (R) CF
Brandon Drury (R) 3B
Tommy Pham (R) DH
Joey Votto (L) 1B
Tyler Stephenson (R) C
Kyle Farmer (R) SS
Aristides Aquino (R) RF
Albert Almora Jr. (R) LF
Matt Reynolds (R) 2B
TBD SP
Statistical leaders
Giants:
Batting average: Thairo Estrada -- .273
Hits: Thairo Estrada -- 42
Home runs: Joc Pederson -- 11
RBI: Wilmer Flores -- 25
Wins: Logan Webb -- 5
Saves: Camilo Doval -- 7
ERA: Carlos Rodon -- 3.43
Reds:
Batting average: Tyler Naquin -- .258
Hits: Tommy Phan -- 35
Home runs: Brandon Drury -- 7
RBI: Brandon Drury -- 25
Wins: Four tied -- 2
Saves: Two tied -- 2
ERA: Tyler Mahle -- 6.32
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
