Reds Suddenly Not Very Far Behind Pirates, Cardinals in NL Central Race |
| Written by Matt Stevens | |||
| Thursday, 19 September 2013 08:38 | |||
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Cincinnati Reds @ Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati opened this live betting week just 3.5 games back of the Pirates and Cardinals for first place in the division, an d they have an excellent opportunity to close the gap even further this weekend. Homer Bailey has led the Reds to wins in four-straight starts, and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of those games. Bailey is actually 6-0 over his last nine starts and hasn’t lost since dropping a 2-1 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers back in July, and he will give the Pirates a tough match up for AJ Burnett. Burnett has split his last two starts while allowing five earned runs in each of them, and Cincinnati will take advantage if he struggles again in this one.
MLB Betting Pick: Cincinnati Reds + 130 St. Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers The Cardinals have the best sportsbook reviews match up of the three teams in contention for the NL Central title, and will try to take advantage on the road at Milwaukee. The Cardinals have lacked consistency as the visiting team this year, and will need Lance Lynn to be at his best again after he threw six innings without giving up an earned run in his last start against Milwaukee. That start snapped a string of four-straight losses for Lynn in which he allowed four earned runs or more in each of them, so he isn’t out of the doghouse just yet. The Brewers will counter with Yovani Gallardo, who is 3-0 over his last six starts but gave up five earned runs in a win over the Reds in his last appearance. MLB Betting Pick: St. Louis Cardinals - 140 Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Diego Padres One team that has nothing to worry about right now is the Dodgers, which have climbed all the way back from the bottom of the NL West to take a 10.5 game lead in the division. Los Angeles will look to continue its dominance of San Diego on Saturday, with Hyun-Jin Ryu looking for price per head win No. 13 on the season. 23-year old rookie Burch Smith is coming off a couple of solid performances in which he allowed just two earned runs over 12 innings of work in back-to-back Padres’ wins over Colorado and Atlanta, and considering the Dodgers have lost three of Ryu’s last four starts, there is a chance that San Diego can pull this one out as a sleeper underdog play at home. For all of the latest MLB news and betting odds, be sure to check out the best sports betting sites. MLB Betting Pick: San Diego Padres + 150
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The National League Central has given baseball fans a reason to tune in on September sports betting weekends, and with the stretch run here there is going to be plenty of drama ahead. The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates have battled back and forth for the NL Central lead for nearly the entire season, but with time running down there is suddenly another team in the mix as the Cincinnati Reds have climbed in to contention ahead of what should be another exciting weekend of baseball action.
