MLB Prediction: Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals: June 6th 2010

Our Sunday MLB predictions take us to the nation’s capitol where the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals will close out their three-game weekend series at Nationals Park.
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The Reds fell into a 1st place tie in the NL Central after it dropped two of three in St. Louis before taking on off-day and heading out east. Cincy’s dropped three of its L/4 games played, but enters Game 1 of this series on Friday night winners in six of their previous 10 games (+$51). The Reds currently stand an even .500 on the year as a visitor good for $138 worth of baseball betting profit.

As for Washington, it lost in walk-off fashion in its Thursday matinee finale in Houston after Carlos Lee launched a two-run bomb into the bleachers. The defeat was manager Jim Riggleman’s squads third in a row and seventh in its L/10 overall games played (-$221). Though the Nationals sit three-games under .500 heading into Friday night’s game, they’re the fourth best MLB wager reeling in upwards of $780 on the year. They’ve only played in front of their home crowd five times since May 9th, and will most definitely look to build upon the 14-10 (+$610) mark the teams put together in this spot.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals
•Game Date/Time: Sunday, June 6th, 1:35 ET
•Game Location: Nationals Park, Washington, DC
•TV/Radio Broadcast: FOX-Ohio, MASN, XM

Getting the starting nod for the 12th time this season will be the Reds RHP Bronson Arroyo. He’s 5-3 on the year with a 4.92 ERA & 1.36 WHIP through 71.1 total innings of work in 2010. He was trounced his last time out in St. Louis where the Redbirds touched him up for 10 hits and seven ER’s through his 4.1 IP. After getting trounced for eight ER’s against San Diego earlier this season, Arroyo bounced back with a seven K and two ER effort through 6.2 innings in a win against the Houston Astros. He hasn’t allowed a run against the Nationals in a pair of starts against them the L/2 seasons; he tossed a two-hit shutout against them at the Great American Ballpark last in 2009.

Opposing the righty will be Nationals RHP Craig Stammen who enters his 12th start of the season 1-2 with a 5.88 ERA & 1.49 WHIP and K/BB ratio of 30/16 through 59.2 total innings of work. He’s served up four ER’s or more in four of his L/5 overall starts, but sports a 1-0 mark with a 3.94 ERA & 1.06 WHIP in five 2010 Nationals Park appearances. He’s only thrown there once in his L/5 outings. He’s made it past the 6th inning only once in his L/5 starts, and this will be his first career look at the Reds.

MLB Insider Tip: Now that we’re two-plus months into the season, we’re starting to get a feel for who the contenders and pretenders are in each division. The Reds are certainly worth taking seriously as they currently sit atop the division with the Cardinals. As for Washington, not so much.

While they play good in spurts, they just don’t have the team in place to compete within the heavily competitive NL East throughout the rest of the season. Save for a 14-run outburst on Memorial Day, the offense has been feast or famine of late, and they’re going to have to score as many runs as possible in this one with Stammen throwing junk at the Reds

Arroyo had been rock solid up until his most recent outing, but I look for him to return to the norm and continue to excel against the Nats like he has in each of the last two MLB betting seasons. My MLB predictions for the finale of this one has Arroyo and the Reds coming out on top.

My MLB Prediction: Cincinnati Reds (Arroyo)
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