Although the Cincinnati Reds are coming off their sixth consecutive losing season there is a level of optimism about their prospects for the 2020 campaign that has not been seen since their playoff years of 2010, 2012, and 2013. Part of the reason was noticeable improvement on the mound, as pitching has gone from a weakness to a strength for Cincinnati. The Reds showed a seven-game improvement on the win-column for 2019 and a lot of gamblers have joined fans by betting the come for 2020. However, the fact remains that the Reds have not turned a profit on the MLB wagering board since 2012 and have lost significant amounts of cash for the past four seasons. Let’s examine their prospects to clear this opening win total of 83.5.
We’ll have MLB Odds at Bookmaker.eu available for every game of the 2020 MLB season.
2020 Cincinnati Reds Win Total Odds at Bookmaker.eu: 83.5, over -165, under +125
The positive possibilities for the Reds begin with a National League Central division that consists of pretty good but hardly dominant teams. The St. Louis Cardinals are defending division champs but may struggle to surpass their own win total of 87.5. The Chicago Cubs are considered to be a team that underachieved last year with the potential for a bounce back. The Milwaukee Brewers barely made the wild card game in 2019 have unproven pitching. While the Pittsburgh Pirates are completely torn down. All of which means the Reds will have winnable games almost every day on their schedule.
On the Hill
Last year the Reds ranked eighth for staff earned run average, sixth for WHIP, 12th for quality starts, and eighth for bullpen.
Anchoring the rotation is number one starter Luis Castillo, who was 15-8 with a 3.40 earned run average and 1.14 WHIP last season. His performance earned him NL All-Star honors. Castillo struck out 226 batters in 190.2 innings of work.
Another impressive starter is projected number two-man Sonny Gray, who went 11-8 with a tidy 2.87 earned run average for 2019. Gray posted 205 strikeouts in 175.1 innings of work.
Closer Raisel Iglesias was somewhat erratic with a 4.16 earned run average and a record of 3-12 but did save 34 games for the 2019 campaign while striking out 89 batters in 67 innings of work.
At the Plate
The problem with the Reds last year was a lineup that ranked only 25th in MLB for run production. To their credit Cincinnati management spent real money for improvement. Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos arrive with big contracts and even bigger expectations.
It was a career year for third baseman Eugenio Suarez in 2019. Suarez produced 87 runs with 22 doubles, 49 home runs, 103 runs batted in with a .271 average, .572 slugging percentage and .930 OPS.
Mike Moustakas arrives with great fanfare and memories of his time with the Kansas City Royals when they won back to back American League pennants in 2014-2015 with a 2015 World Series title. The Moose powered to 30 doubles and 35 home runs with a .516 slugging percentage and .845 OPS in 2019.
Nick Castellanos is expected to be another big bat for the Reds after clobbering 58 doubles and 27 home runs in 2019. His escape from the misery of the Detroit Tigers is further expected to add to his numbers.
2020 Cincinnati Reds Win Total MLB Betting Odds Pick
It’s understandable that the Reds are getting a lot of preseason love and hype. But the fact remains that they are unproven. While Cincinnati could remain competitive in the National League Central much of this win total number is based on public reach.
MLB Betting Odds Prediction: Cincinnati Reds under 83.5 wins
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