Cincinnati (Garrett) at Pittsburgh (Nova) -165 O/U 8
Recommendation: Over
Cincinnati's Amir Garrett threw six shutout innings in his rookie debut last Friday. His effort however came in the comforts of home against the offensively anemic St. Louis Cardinals. Garrett noticeably lost velocity as the game wore on, failed to miss a single bat with his fastball, and allowed 10 fly balls and four line drives. The big 6-5 lefty has promise but his stuff appears to be no. 4 starter-esque at this point. Pittsburgh's offense is off to a slow start (3 runs the first two games of the series) but should plate a handful of runs against Garrett. Pittsburgh's Ivan Nova has really thrived in the National League since comes over from the New York Yankees last season. And he started the season strong: 6 IP, 1 ER vs. Atlanta. At this point in his career, Nova doesn't miss many bats and could have a bit more difficulty navigating what has been a very potent Cincinnati lineup. The Reds are averaging 4.9 runs per game and hit 13 home runs and that's with Joey Votto yet to hit his weight. With two below average bullpens, mild temps, and a slight win blowing out, we'll look to play this game over the total of 8.
