MLB Betting Free Picks: Cincinnati @ Houston

Added on Apr 27, 2010 by Jack Thurman in

MLB

Baseball betting now in full swing at most sports betting sites worldwide, and we’ll take a look at a National League game for Tuesday as the Cincinnati Reds play the Astros at Houston. These teams have nearly identical records, but they’ve arrived there in different ways. Houston played horrible at the start of the season, but have won 8 of their last 10 and are 8-10. Cincinnati started strong but have lost 7 of their last 10 and stand at 8-11.

Cincinnati Reds (Aaron Harang) at Houston Astros (Bud Norris)
April 27 5:05 PM Pacific

The disparity in recent form notwithstanding, we’re of the opinion that over the course of the season Cincinnati will offer a lot more upside than Houston. Today we’ve got a matchup of struggling pitchers as Cincy’s Aaron Harang and Houston’s Bud Norris do battle. Harang is 0-3 with a 8.31 ERA and was lit up in his only road start of the season allowing 8 ER in 4 innings at Florida. Norris’ numbers are marginally better–he’s got a 1-1 record and a 4.26 ERA but has struggled in two outings at Minute Maid Field where his ERA is 7.04. Houston’s biggest problem is their offense which doesn’t generate a lot of runs–they’re averaging only 3.3 runs per game, or 1.3 runs per game fewer than Cincinnati.

The Reds hold a couple of situational advantages as well, starting with the fact that they manhandled the Astros in 2009. Cincy won 12 of 16 head to head good for 9.7 units of profit. The Reds also made over 11 units of profit against right handed pitching. In a matchup where neither starter has been particularly effective, we’ll go with the team that has generated the most profits in this series as a small underdog.

Bet Cincinnati (Harang) +110 over Houston (Norris)