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Mired in one of their worst slumps of the season, the Cincinnati Reds continue to struggle mightily against the Houston Astros.
In danger of losing their fifth straight series versus the Astros, the Reds look to end their problems at the plate when the teams complete a three-game set Thursday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Houston -138 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 94% of bets for this game have been placed on Houston –138 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Cincinnati’s lineup has not been productive this month, or over the last two seasons against Houston (67-66). The Reds are batting .226 while averaging 3.3 runs over their last 20 games, going 6-14 in that span.
Against Houston (58-75) on Wednesday night, Cincinnati went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position en route to a 4-1 loss.
Cincinnati has lost 13 of its last 15 matchups with Houston, averaging 3.6 runs in those games, and hasn’t won a series versus the Astros since taking two of three games from May 29-31, 2007, at Minute Maid Park.
Jay Bruce’s slump is partially responsible for the Reds’ struggles in recent weeks. The 21-year-old right fielder is batting .219 (21-for-96) with 24 strikeouts in August.
Bruce met with Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker before Wednesday’s game. He then went 1-for-4 – an improvement after going 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts in his previous two contests.
"He’s so aggressive, which you’d rather have than a passive guy," Baker told the Reds’ official Web site. "But he has to remain aggressive within the strike zone. A lot of it is concentration. He’s got to focus and concentrate on the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand."
Houston has had its own problems at the plate, scoring one run in two straight games before getting two-run homers from Ty Wigginton and Hunter Pence on Wednesday.
Wigginton homered in the seventh, and has hit eight of his 17 homers in August. The Astros, though, are only averaging 3.3 runs in their last 12 games, seven of which they’ve lost.
Houston center fielder Michael Bourn went 0-for-4 Wednesday and is batting .143 (7-for-49) with 16 strikeouts this month. He’s also still nursing a sore right ankle, but manager Cecil Cooper plans to give Bourn the majority of the playing time in center for the rest of the season.
"I’ve been hoping (in September) he’ll be able to do more out there," Cooper said. "I think he’ll get the bulk of the playing time."
With Cincinnati starter Aaron Harang (4-13, 5.35 ERA) having a subpar season, the Astros’ lineup will have a good opportunity to build some momentum. One of Harang’s worst starts of the season came against Houston on Aug. 10, when he allowed eight runs and nine hits in four innings as Cincinnati lost 13-4.
Harang is 8-6 with a 4.49 ERA in 18 career starts versus the Astros.
The veteran right-hander snapped a three-start losing streak in his last outing, though, giving up six hits in six shutout innings as Cincinnati beat Colorado 8-5 on Friday night. He had been 0-4 with a 10.74 ERA in his previous six starts.
Houston will counter with Brandon Backe (8-12, 5.54 ERA), who won his last start, allowing three runs and five hits in seven innings as Houston beat the New York Mets 8-3 on Saturday night.
The right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.16 ERA lifetime in five starts and four relief appearances against the Reds.
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