The reeling Miami Marlins continue their three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of their series Wednesday afternoon inside Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. They have an early start to this one as they toss out the first pitch at 12:35 pm. The Marlins finally snapped their brief losing streak. 

 

The Reds are -118 in Wednesday's clash. 

 

Miami Marlins Betting Preview

 

The Marlins (59-56) are desperate for a win and really are in danger of slipping out of the NL Wild Card race if they continue this freefall. A win here and there will stop the bleeding, but they need to start winning series and figure out a way to get back on track in the worst way. 

 

They finally got a win on Tuesday night, 3-2, against the Reds to snap a five-game losing streak. 

 

Their offense really has been non-existent of late and they have been in a rut when it comes to scoring runs. They are not good enough to only score 1-2 runs a game and expect their starting rotation to hold up. On offense, they have one legitimate slugger and run producer in DH Jorge Soler, who has clubbed a team-high 28 home runs this season. 

Luis Arraez was the talk of the first half of the season when he was flirting with .400 now he has seen his average drop to .370. He is still having a very nice season in that regard, but his once hot bat is not sizzling like it once was.

 

Miami will send out veteran hurler Johnny Cuerto who is still in search of his first win of the season. He takes the ball and steps on the mound with an 0-3 mark to go along with an ERA of 5.32 on the season. He has dropped his last two starts and the Marlins need him to give them a solid start. 

 

Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview

 

The Reds (60-56) were finally able to stop the bleeding on Monday night when they snapped a six-game slide thanks to a 5-2 win as Joey Votto homered in the win. But like the Marlins, the Reds have been a team that has had some issues with their offense and pitching over the last several weeks. 

They are still right there in the race for first place in the NL Central. It appears the Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers will battle it out but do not discount the Chicago Cubs just yet. Tuesday's loss has them two games back of the Brewers.

 

For the Reds, they are led by 25-year-old first baseman Spencer Steer who has cracked 17 home runs and has really blossomed into a solid piece of their future to build around. He appeared in only 28 games last season and hit just two home runs so now being a full-time player he has shown the Reds he can provide some much-needed pop. 

 

They will send out Graham Ashcraft who sports a 6-7 mark to go along with an ERA of 5.18. He has struck out 81 batters in just over 113 innings of work. 

 

Game Odds, Series Trends and Free Pick 

 

The Reds are 1-4 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 36-21 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in none of their last five games and 27 of their last 58 games at home. The Marlins are 0-5 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the spread and 27-29 in their road games against the spread. 

 

Spooky Express Free Play: Cincinnati Reds -118