Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds MLB Picks, Odds, Predictions 4/10/21
2021-04-10 20:10:00 EDT
The Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks meet Saturday in MLB action from Chase Field.
This will be the second installment of a three-game weekend series between these teams. In the set opener on Friday, the Reds posted an extra-innings win. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
The Reds kicked off their year with two wins in three games over the Cardinals, then a sweep of the Pirates. In Friday’s matchup against the Diamondbacks, Cincinnati coughed up five runs in the seventh and eighth innings but eked out a win in 10 innings 6-5. Jesse Winker posted three hits with a run and an RBI in that one.
For the Saturday starting role, the Reds will send out Jeff Hoffman. In his Reds debut on Sunday, Hoffman posted five innings with one run during a 12-1 win over the Cardinals. This spring Hoffman was 0-2 with an 8.50 ERA and 16 Ks in 18.0 innings of work.
Over on the Diamondbacks’ side, they were 1-3 versus the Padres in their series opener, and 1-2 versus the Rockies this week. In the Friday opener versus the Reds, Arizona stormed back from a 5-0 deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback.
For the Saturday starting pitcher role, the Diamondbacks are going with Riley Smith. In this slot, Smith will be taking Caleb Smith’s place. Riley posted six games for Arizona last year and managed a 1.47 ERA.
The Reds are 4-9 in their last 13 in game two of a series and 17-35 in their last 52 road games with the total set at 9.0-10.5. The under is 10-4-1 in Cincinnati’s last 15 Saturday games and 19-9-2 in their last 30 in game two of a series.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are 0-7 in their last seven Saturday games and 3-10 in their last 13 in game two of a series. The under is 5-2 in Arizona’s last seven Saturday games and the over is 5-2 in their last seven in game two of a series.
PICK: I’m going to stick with the Reds in this one. Hoffman looked pretty good in his Cincinnati debut after an up-and-down spring, bagging a win by throwing four-seamer fastballs in 40 of his 77 pitches. Hoffman is likely going to rely heavily on velocity here as well, and if he’s on point it’s going to be tough for the Diamondbacks to find much offense. Should be an interesting matchup but I like the Reds better.
