Reds vs Phillies Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (August 14)

• The Reds and Phillies face off on Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park
• Cincy hands the ball to Luis Castillo, while Matt Moore is likely to start for Philadelphia
• We have the odds, betting analysis, and picks below

The Cincinnati Reds (63-54, 32-27 away) visit the Philadelphia Phillies (60-56, 35-24 home) on Saturday afternoon for game two of their four-game set, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 PM EST at Citizens Bank Park. The Reds have won five of the last six meetings against the Phillies after a 6-1 victory on Friday thanks to a solid outing from Tyler Mahle.

Luis Castillo will get the call for Cincy, while Matt Moore is expected to start as he enters the Philadelphia rotation for the third time this season.

Reds vs Phillies Odds

Odds as of August 13th at DraftKings.

Probable Pitchers

After two fantastic seasons, Castillo has had his issues in 2021. The right-hander is 6-11 with a 4.53 ERA. However, he does lead the majors with 24 starts. Command has been a clear problem for Castillo, walking 54 batters in 131.1 innings of work. His last outing was dreadful, getting lit up for eight earned runs by the Cleveland Indians while lasting 3.1 innings.

Happy Niño Day!

Since June 1, Luis Castillo is 2nd in the NL with a 1.91 ERA, 4th with a .199 average against and 5th with 80 K.#LaPiedra pic.twitter.com/aDc0tms6Fo

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 9, 2021

However, prior to that forgettable performance, the Dominican strung together some decent starts, allowing just two runs in his previous four appearances. This will be his first outing against the Phillies this season, but they’ve absolutely raked off Castillo, hitting .327 as a lineup.

It’s a small sample size though, with only 36 at-bats combined.

Castillo vs Moore

Moore has been in and out of the Phils’ rotation this season and has even spent time in the minor leagues due to a small injury and his struggles. At that point, he owned a 7.36 ERA. The southpaw has made 17 appearances, with just nine of them being starts. Moore pitched in relief on Tuesday night against the Dodgers and had yet another poor outing, lasting 0.1 innings and allowing three earned runs.

Phillies lose 6-1.
Wheeler was roughed up in his 6 innings, and the offense managed only 5 hits.
Matt Moore will apparently take the baseball tomorrow afternoon, against Luis Castillo.

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) August 14, 2021

While Moore’s control hasn’t been great in 2021, he’s frankly just been hit around. Prior to Tuesday’s game, the veteran gave up 14 runs in his previous three appearances.

But, it does look like Joe Girardi will give him another chance to prove himself on Saturday due to the Phillies’ injury-riddled pitching staff. The Reds are a very unfamiliar opponent for the lefty, pitching just once against them in his big league career.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

The Reds have been playing all-around good baseball lately, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. Offense has been a clear strength for this team, scoring 5.1 runs per contest, which is fifth in the MLB. Friday’s win put Cincinnati’s muscle on full display. Eugenio Suarez, Nick Castellanos, and Joey Votto all slugged homers, chasing ace Zack Wheeler in just six innings.

https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1426360469405700097

With a 63-54 record, the Reds are doing better than many expected. They’re 7.5 games behind the Brewers for first place in the NL Central, but the Wild Card is in reach, with the Dodgers just 3.5 games ahead. The playoffs are a reality, but their pitching must step up on a more consistent basis.

The Phillies are neck-and-neck with the Mets for top spot in the NL East, while the Braves are also right on their tails. However, Philly’s bats have been dead silent over the last four games. The Dodgers took two out of three from them, with the Phillies scoring just four runs in the series.

FINAL: Reds 6, Phillies 1 pic.twitter.com/qs26B8bRyw

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 14, 2021

On Friday, they gave Wheeler absolutely no run support, stringing together a mere five hits while stranding five runners. With their division extremely tight, Girardi’s squad must figure it out at the dish very quickly if they want any shot at winning the NL East as we enter the heat of the playoff race.

Reds vs Phillies Prediction

Castillo has been a mile better over the last couple of months, despite the rocky start last time out. On the other hand, Moore is far too unreliable considering his numbers this season. I’m taking the Reds to grab yet another road victory on Saturday.

Pick: Cincinnati Reds -145

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