baseball | Tuesday, April 25, 2023 9:30 AM

Cincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers Best Bet: Perez To Outduel Weaver In Cincy

Sam Cox

Cincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers Best Bet: Tuesday, April 25th

A late rally from the Cincinnati Reds saw them end a losing streak on Monday night. Cincinnati took a lead in this series against the Texas Rangers, but they are still underdogs for the Tuesday evening matchup. Texas leads the American League West with a 14-8 record. The Reds are bottom of the National League Central, sitting at 8-15 even after Monday’s win.

Martin Perez takes the ball for the Rangers on Tuesday, going up against Luke Weaver. Texas has not lost consecutive games since April 4th. Fittingly, the Reds have not won consecutive games since the same date. The form book certainly points towards a bounce back from the Rangers.

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Cincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers Preview
Cincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers Best Bet

Cincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers Preview

Tue, Apr 25. 23:40 (UK time)

Texas possesses a deep and explosive offence. Only the league-leading Rays have a better wRC+ on the season. They are top-10 in xwOBA.

Cincinnati is bottom-three in xwOBA. Prior to their offence outburst on Monday, they had put up six runs over the previous six games. This line up is lacking talent. This level of production is not exactly surprising given preseason expectations.

Perez has not been quite as good as last season, yet he has still kept Texas in games. He hasn’t conceded more than three runs in a start, and has recorded a minimum of 15 outs. The Rangers have an offence which can overpower opponents, providing their starters keep them close. At a hitter-friendly park, we aren’t going to see Perez pitch a gem, but he doesn’t really need to in this one. Five frames for a couple of runs would be a good outcome for the road team.

Weaver’s task is altogether more intimidating. The Rangers have scored four or more in each of their last eight, a run which has included some gaudy numbers. Weaver allowed four earned in six innings to the Pirates in his only 2023 start thus far. His stuff hasn’t been fooling hitters – he had a 5.45 xERA in 2022, and gave up a tonne of hard contact. He isn’t a master of command either, and could hand out some free passes on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati Reds vs Texas Rangers Best Bet

Once the starters are out the game, it remains advantage Texas. Only the Mets have a lower bullpen ERA. Perez’s ability to pitch five frames eases the pressure on the relief corps.
The Rangers are 8-6 on the runline as a favourite this season. The Reds are only 3-5 as a home underdog.

We’re backing the visitors to win by at least two runs here. There’s potential for a blowout with this Rangers line up facing Weaver.