San Diego (30-42) at Cincinnati (28-43)
When: Thursday, June 23rd 2016
Where: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
Time: 7:10 ET | TV: FSN San Diego, FSN Ohio
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A couple of last-place teams will start a four-game weekend series when the Cincinnati Reds host the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. San Diego has been mashing the ball all month to the tune of 5.5 runs per game, but are just 10-10 in June. Their three-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday afternoon in a 7-2 loss in Baltimore giving them a split with the Orioles in a short two-game set. Matt Kemp continues to swing a hot bat, going 6-for-10 with two doubles and four RBIs in the series against Baltimore and has raised his average from .237 to .268 over the last 11 games. Cincinnati also is coming off a split of a two-game interleague series in Texas that wrapped up a 4-5 road trip. Jay Bruce was 5-for-8 against Texas to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Bruce has knocked in 11 runs during the streak. Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez halted a 16-game homerless drought with a three-run blast Wednesday. The Reds will be home for the next seven games with the first-place Cubs on deck for Monday.
Pitchers: Padres – Christian Friedrich (3-2, 3.15 ERA) | Reds – John Lamb (1-4, 4.75)
Christian Friedrich lost for just the second time in seven starts this season when he was pummeled by the Washington Nationals last Friday. He was tagged for six runs and nine hits – including a pair of homers in six innings of work in the 7-5 loss. He was great in his previous turn at Colorado, registering a season-high nine strikeouts and allowing one unearned run over six innings. He has been terrific in his three road starts this season, posting a 1-1 record and 0.47 ERA.
John Lamb has picked up only one win in his nine starts this season and will look to feed off a nice outing last Friday at Houston. The lefty from California allowed just three hits and one run while striking out eight in 5.1 innings against the Astros, but walked four and threw 108 pitches. He allowed multiple home runs for the third time in five starts in his previous turn, lasting four innings in a 6-1 loss to Oakland. Lamb has allowed one earned run five times and at least four runs in his other four starts.
The pitching matchup definitely favors the Padres in this one and they’re hitting the ball well right now. The Reds are only hitting .188 against lefties over the last ten games. I’ll take the road team here tonight and see if we can’t get our 4th win in a row.
Pick: Padres +105
