Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds Predictions, Picks and MLB Preview – April 4, 2016

Two of the NL’s worst  teams face off on Opening Day when the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Cincinnati Reds. While that may certainly lead you to scratch your head, bear in mind that you can still win big off these two teams. It’ll only be a matter of time before one of these teams explodes toward great heights with plenty of prospective stars on the team.

Cincinnati looks to introduce some young pitchers into the majors, while some veterans have secured their spots in the lineup. Philadelphia also has a young rotation looking to make names for themselves in the majors.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds Preview

Where: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati

When: Monday, April 4, 4:10 PM ET

Line: Philadelphia Phillies (+145) at Cincinnati Reds (-160); total 8.5 – view all MLB lines

Betting on the Philadelphia Phillies (0-0)

Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies have a young pitching staff. But these youngins have a veteran to guide them. Jeremy Hellickson starts the opener after being acquired from Arizona in a trade last November to add a vet to the rotation. He went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts last season, and has a 4.86 ERA with 310 strikeouts in 383.2 innings over the past three years.

Hellickson is a veteran, but one that has problems keeping the ball in the park. He has allowed 54 homers in the past three seasons. He’s started against Cincinnati just once in his career. He allowed three earned runs (one off a solo homer) in six innings.

Things get a little bit better at the plate. Odubel Herrera and Ryan Howard return to inject some life into the Phillies’ batting order. Herrera was one of the few bright spots for the Phillies last season. He led the team in batting average (.297), OBP (.344), hits (147) and runs (64) last season. Howard gave the team his power, leading Philadelphia in home runs (23) and RBIs (77).

The total has gone over in four of the last five meetings between the two teams.

Betting on the Cincinnati Reds (0-0)

Cincinnati’s pitching remains a work in progress, especially after they traded off Johnny Cueto to the Kansas City Royals last season. Cueto wasn’t the only star traded off last year. Mike Leake was also traded, while Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier were dealt in the offseason.

Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips remain alongside Joey Votto, the most-established star on the Reds’ roster. Bruce struggled last season with a .226 batting average. But he still finished second on the team with 87 RBIs. Phillips was pretty reliable, hitting .294.

Votto is the lifeblood of the Cincinnati batting order. He finished the 2015 season with a .314 batting average and .459 OBP. He also had a team-high 143 walks. Votto should remain a terror at the plate, especially against a regressing Jeremy Hellickson. Votto hasn’t gotten plenty of opportunities to face Philadelphia’s opening day starter. He’s only had three place appearances against Hellickson, going 0 for 3 back in 2011.

On the mound, Raisel Iglesias starts for Cincinnati after a pretty good 2015 season. He fanned more than one batter per inning, while his walk rate was better than league average. He’s a ground-ball pitcher, which should help in the Great American Ballpark. He’s struggled to win, though. He’s 3-7 with a 4.15 ERA in 18 games last season (16 starts). Iglesias played much better at home, going 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA in nine starts.

The Reds have won four of their last six at home.

Writer’s Prediction

Cincinnati (-160) gets the job done against the Phillies.

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