Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins
(-120/+100)+155
As the Cincinnati Reds visit LoanDepot Park to face the Miami Marlins on August 8, 2024, the stakes are somewhat tempered, with both teams struggling for relevance this season. The Marlins sit at 43-72, indicating a tough year, while the Reds are slightly better at 55-59, which still falls below expectations. In their last matchup on August 7, the Marlins managed to edge out the Reds with a 6-4 victory, snapping a rough stretch and looking to carry that momentum into this game.
On the mound, the Marlins will send Kyle Tyler, who has had a challenging season with a 0-2 record and an ERA of 5.27. Despite being ranked as the 296th best starting pitcher in MLB, he may enjoy a slight advantage against a Reds lineup that has the 5th most strikeouts in the league. Meanwhile, Hunter Greene, projected to start for Cincinnati, has been a bright spot for them with an impressive 2.83 ERA and a 8-4 record. However, he faces a Marlins offense that, while ranking 29th in MLB, recently showed signs of life in their last game.
Interestingly, the projections suggest that the Marlins could perform better than their current odds imply. With an implied team total of just 3.25 runs, there’s potential value in betting on them. Jake Burger has emerged as Miami’s standout player, hitting four home runs in the past week while maintaining a strong 1.037 OPS. If he can keep this up against Greene, the Marlins may surprise in what could be a low-scoring affair, with a game total set at 7.5 runs.
Overall, while the Reds are favored, Miami’s recent offensive performance and the potential for Kyle Tyler to exploit Cincinnati’s strikeout tendency could make this matchup more competitive than expected.
Cincinnati Reds Insights
- Hunter Greene – Over/Under 7.5 Strikeouts (+105/-135)Hunter Greene’s slider percentage has decreased by 5.7% from last year to this one (40.5% to 34.8%) .Explain: Because sliders are one of the most effective pitches to use, a pitcher who alters his pitch mix to use them less often may see less success as a result, particularly if he uses his fastball more instead.
- Spencer Steer – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-195/+150)Spencer Steer is an extreme flyball hitter and squares off against the strong outfield defense of Miami (#3-best of all teams today).Explain: This player’s skill set matches up poorly with the opposing team’s defensive strength, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
- Jeimer Candelario – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-185/+145)Jeimer Candelario pulls many of his flyballs (37.6% — 95th percentile) and will be challenged by the game’s 4th-deepest RF fences in today’s game.Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
Miami Marlins Insights
- Kyle Tyler – Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+120/-150)Out of all starting pitchers, Kyle Tyler’s fastball velocity of 89.7 mph is in the 7th percentile this year.Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.
- Xavier Edwards – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-210/+160)Xavier Edwards is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card today, which would be an upgrade from his 53% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season.Explain: The higher in the order a player bats, the more plate appearances he will get and the more opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits higher in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting lower.
- The Miami Marlins have 3 bats in their projected offense today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Jake Burger, Kyle Stowers, Derek Hill).Explain: Teams that have multiple high-strikeout hitters will make it much easier for the opposing pitcher to record strikeouts
Betting Trends
- Over/Under 7.5 Game Total (-120/+100)The Miami Marlins have hit the Game Total Over in 32 of their last 46 games at home (+18.90 Units / 37% ROI)
- Cincinnati Reds – Run Line -1.5 (-110)The Cincinnati Reds have hit the Run Line in 30 of their last 46 away games (+9.40 Units / 14% ROI)
- Hunter Greene – Over/Under 1.5 Earned Runs (-155/+120)Hunter Greene has hit the Earned Runs Under in 16 of his last 22 games (+10.30 Units / 40% ROI)