MLB Betting – Houston Astros vs. Cincinnati Reds

Thursday early afternoon baseball features two struggling National League teams looking to make a quick turnaround before the MLB betting season enters the summer.  Today at 12:35 PM ET, the Cincinnati Reds will host the Houston Astros for the final game of the series.

After a postponement on Monday, Houston took Game 2 by a score of 10-4 while the Reds rallied Wednesday night late in the ninth inning to win Game 3 by one run. Cincinnati currently leads the season series three games to two.

Cincinnati is the favorite in the MLB Sportsbook for today’s matchup, with the run total set at 8.5 runs

Houston Astros (12-18) vs. Cincinnati Reds (15-15)

Thursday, May 5 at 12:35 PM ET

Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, Ohio

TV: FSH, FSOH

MLB Betting Odds: Houston +1.5, Cincinnati -1.5, Run Total: 8.5 runs

The Reds will look for a spark from Homer Bailey today.  Brought up from Triple A, Bailey allowed only one run off five hits in over six innings of play his last outing. After undergoing shoulder surgery, the right-hander will make his season debut against the bottom-dwelling Astros.

Houston will oppose Bailey with Brett Myers.  Myers is coming off a recent loss to Milwaukee where he gave up four runs in six innings.  Against the Reds, Myers has struggled, going 1-3 with an ERA of 4.31.

MLB Pitching Matchup:

B. Myers (1-1, ERA 3.72) vs. H. Bailey (0-0, ERA 0.0)

Reds shortstop and reigning World Series MVP Edgar Renteria has gotten 20 hits in 43 at-bats against Myers, while the reigning National League MVP Joey Votto has now put together a thirty-game streak of getting on base.

Despite Myers’ troubles with the Reds, he is more battle-tested than Bailey. Despite his 1-1 record, Myers has gotten six starts so far on the season and thrown many more pitches at this level.

The Astros Carlos Lee is still questionable for action today after he bruised his ribs in an outfield collision.

The Reds anticipate adding another win to their victory last night and battling through the .500 mark, both at home (9-9) and overall (15-15). However, despite the deeper offense of the Reds, I’d expect the team to struggle a bit behind an untested arm today.

The best bet in the MLB betting odds today is with the Houston Astros, who showed in Game 2 that they are capable of putting runs on the board. Likewise, Houston would have likely won in Game 3, after leading until the ninth inning, if not for a blown save by its weak bullpen.

MLB Betting Free Pick – Take the Houston Astros +1.5!