Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction 8-24-23 MLB Picks

The Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks meet in game one of their four-game weekend series in MLB action from Chase Field on Thursday. Two playoff hopefuls going head-to-head in the desert, who draws first blood? Let’s dive in and find out.

Reds Sweep The Angels

The Cincinnati Reds picked up a trio of massive wins in their series against the Angels, picking up a 9-4 win in game one of Wednesday’s double-header and 7-3 in game two. The sweep put the Reds at 67-61 on the year, sitting 3.5 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central race and tied for the final two spots in the NL Wild Card hunt. Spencer Steer leads the Reds with 18 home runs, 70 RBIs and 124 hits while Matt McLain and Jake Fraley are right behind with 15 home runs this season. Steer also has a team-high 29 doubles while TJ Friedl has a .280 batting average and 24 stolen bases. Elly De La Cruz has 21 stolen bases in just 66 games played this season. Brandon Williamson will start for the Reds here and is 4-3 with a 4.47 ERA and 76 strikeouts this season.

Cincinnati Reds Team Facts

- The Reds have won each of their last four games as road underdogs.

- The Reds have covered the run line each of their last seven games against NL West opponents that held a winning record.

- The Reds have won the first inning in three of their last four games as underdogs against NL West opponents.

- The Reds have led after 7 innings in four of their last five games as underdogs against NL West opponents.

- The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Reds' last nine games at Chase Field.

Diamondbacks Getting Hot Again At Right Time

The Arizona Diamondbacks managed to extend their win streak to four game after a two-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 6-3 win in Tuesday’s finale. The win put the Diamondbacks to 66-61 on the year, sitting 0.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race and 11.5 games back in the NL West race. Christian Walker leads the Diamondbacks with 28 home runs and 84 RBIs while Ketel Marte has a team-high 125 hits and a .273 batting average. Corbin Carroll also has 21 home runs and a team-high 38 stolen bases with a .275 batting average, and is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year in the National League. Merrill Kelly will start for Arizona here and is 10-5 with a 3.13 ERA and 134 strikeouts this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks Team Facts

- The Diamondbacks have lost each of their last five games as favorites against NL Central opponents.

- The Diamondbacks have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six games as favorites against NL Central opponents.

- The Diamondbacks have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three Thursday night games as favorites.

- The Diamondbacks have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four Thursday games as home favorites.

- The Diamondbacks have trailed after 7 innings in five of their last six games as favorites against NL Central opponents.

Arizona Diamondbacks Player Prop Facts

- Corbin Carroll ranks 3rd in the league in Steals (38) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

- The Arizona Diamondbacks ranks 2nd in the league for triples this season (30).

- The Arizona Diamondbacks ranks T3rd in the league for steals this season (127).

- The Cincinnati Reds ranks 1st in the league for steals this season (149).

- The Cincinnati Reds ranks 3rd in the league for triples this season (28).

Chris’ Pick

I’m looking at the over here. These are two teams that are hot right now, swinging hot bats across the board with a decent starting pitching matchup but questionable bullpens. I think this ends up being a fairly high-scoring affair when all is said and done, so give me the over here.